How to Believe
by AlexandriaHunter
Summary: When two very different women arrive in Haven they must learn to trust themselves and each other, but what happens when the troubles begin to get worse? This story is a crossover with the Mortal Instruments book series and the Sweep book series. This is a story written by two authors and we don't own ANYTHING of these stories other than our main characters Rose and Mari.
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

MARI

I chuckled as I sat at the bar, listening to both the actual conversation going on at the end of the bar, and the inner conversations both participants were having with themselves. A skinny guy with glasses, a wrinkled white shirt with mustard stains on it, and unflattering pants that were too short sat with a gorgeous dark-haired woman; Indian or Middle-Eastern by the look of her, wearing a tight pencil skirt, black pumps, and a white button-up. Poor guy thinks he's gonna get some tonight but she's out of his league, and what's worse, she knows she's out of his league. She's not even paying attention to what he's saying. All she's thinking about is...wait for it...oh, yep, there it is. What she is gonna wear tomorrow to get the men in her office to pay attention to her. Yep, nail polish colors, jewelry, clothes. Vapid, vapid woman. Oh well. Too bad too. He's actually kinda cute, if you ignore the clothes. But I wasn't interested in other girl's hand-me-downs tonight. It was just a stop on the way. I picked this place cause it was relatively quiet. If I had wanted fun, I would have gone to one of the clubs downtown. And I would have worn a completely different outfit. I may be more comfortable in jeans and t-shirts, but when I wanted sex, I could pull of a tight dress and heels with the best of them. But here I was, in this hole in the wall, wearing nothing but my usual jeans and a simple black tank top. Very little make-up; just eyeliner and mascara. I even kept my hair up in it's usually sloppy bun, figuring no one would even think to look twice at me.

So far this place had remained quiet. Besides the missed love connection at the end of the bar, there was a couple in a booth in the back, about to start drunkenly making out any second. Ugh. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. If they start, I'm outta here! The last thing I need tonight is THAT in my head. There was also a guy to my left a few bar stools down. He was a bigger guy, dressed in various shades of brown from head to toe, including the cowboy hat he wore on his head and the boots he had on his feet. From the looks of things he was a regular. So much a regular that he seemed to just melt into the atmosphere of the bar. Anyone else would have wanted to stay away from him, assuming he was some dangerous creep who only meant harm for anyone who looked at him the wrong way. But, tonight at least, his thoughts were far away, out on a ranch in Montana. He was sad. Like he was drinking for the loss of a past life; the loss of a past self. The bartender was bored. It was clear, even to someone who didn't have my "gifts". The way he held himself, the way he poured drinks, even the way he talked, like he wanted to be anywhere but here. He stood behind the bar cutting up lemons and limes. Clearly this bar had seen better days, but now it was a haven for people like me. People who just wanted to be left alone with their thoughts.

I sat, drinking my beer, suddenly filled with thoughts about my mom and what I was about to do. What I had done earlier that day. I knew both decisions were right, or at least that's what I kept telling myself. Both were either ingenious or completely stupid, but I needed rather than hoped for the prior. I hoped the knife would never be found at the bottom of the Hudson. My mind moved to the letter that was lying just under the zipper of my bag. That stupid, surprising, unrelenting letter from my mother, who had been dead for 20 years. How could she have written that letter knowing I would get it right when I needed it most? Right when I was the most lost. But by following her directions, I'd actually be admitting that I was lost, and that was almost worst. "Go to Haven Maine" she says. "You have an older half-brother named Duke" she says. "Find him. Let him show you the way home." What does that even mean? Home for me used to be Bend, Oregon, but for the last 6 years, "home" has been one of those ideas that you hear but can never really grasp. Like the fairytales you read as a child, hearing about "true love" and "happily ever afters", but then growing up and realizing those concepts aren't what they seem. God! I had it all planned out! Well, sort of anyway. I was gonna drift along, totally blissed out in my existence, not caring about anyone, no one letting me down. I had jobs...maybe not always legal, but I always had money. I can look after myself!Damn it! Maybe I am lost, but I don't even know him! How on earth can he help me? He doesn't know me! And how the hell do I explain...me? My "troubles", as my mother used to call them? The fact that not only can I hear what is going on in everyone's head, but that I can feel and project emotions too?! And what if he's a total douche? What if all he cares about is his life and his family and his…..whatever?

Oh damn it! Well that didn't take very long. There go the two love birds in the corner...oh man...butterflies in the stomach, whirling head, ew. Ok, time to go. I pushed my barstool back. Shit. It really couldn't be that easy could it? I cocked my head to the right, listening as a man looking to be in his mid-40s walked through the door and saw me sitting at the bar. He started walking up to the bar, the whole time thinking about what he was gonna say to me, do to me, etc. I rolled my eyes and took one last large swig of my beer. Here we go. He sat down next to me and ordered a whiskey clearly trying to impress me by ordering off the "big boy menu". If only it were that easy. I grabbed my bag and coat from underneath my barstool. As I did, the guy turned to me, putting a hand on mine and said, "Leaving so soon?" "Gotta be getting back on the road," I responded without looking at him and pulled my hand away. He put a hand on my shoulder as if to stop me and said, "Stay and I'll make it worth your while". Groan. Really? Does that actually work on anyone. Ever? As I walked away I heard him think, Maybe next time! I spun around, grabbed the knife the bartender had been using and slammed it down between the man's third and fourth finger on his left hand, just missing the little piece of skin at the bottom. "Next time I won't miss," I said as he stared with a shocked expression on his face at me, the bartender, and the knife. "And next time, I'll put the knife so far into your hand, it'll be coming out the other side of the bar." I grabbed my bag and jacket off the floor and made for the door. I turned and looked the man dead in the eye. Focusing on him, and him alone, I said, "You should really be getting home to your wife and kids, you know?" Then I turned and walked out into the freezing New York City night.

ROSE

I sighed as I closed the case files in front of me. I could feel the headache brewing behind my eyes so I waved my hand and the stove turned on under the teapot, as I moved to put the files in my bag and put the bag by the front door. It had been a long two weeks since I had arrived in Haven to help out my good friend and old college roommate, Claire Callahan, on what appeared to be a serial killer case only to discover that she was working with my cousin, Nathan Wuornos. It was a very small world apparently. I hadn't heard from my uncle or my cousin in close to 10 years, so walking into the police station and hearing that my uncle, Garland Wuornos, had been the police chief, was dead and my cousin Nathan was the interim chief was more than a little disconcerting.

As I was moving towards the kitchen there was a knock on the door. I glanced at the clock and smiled slightly. It was almost 11:00 pm. The only person that would come around my place this late was...I threw open the door and smiled. "Duke Crocker! What can I do you for?" I asked, my Irish accent coming out as I looked up at him. He chuckled and smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "Rose Hunter, I couldn't help but notice that your lights were still on. I was just getting ready to leave The Gull and I was going to see if you wanted to have a nightcap?" he replied cheekily. I laughed and waved him in. "I was just heating up some water for tea. I could make yours a hot tottie if you would like?" I said as I moved to grab two mugs from the cabinet. Duke moved to sit at the kitchen table behind me. "That would be great. So how are you liking Haven?" he asked casually. I glanced back at him and smiled. "It's nice. It reminds me a lot of Ballynigel…" I said wistfully.

My mind filled with images of the green hills of Ireland and the small village where I spent most of my childhood. I remembered my grandmother sitting in front of the fire in her rocking chair explaining to me about the Rule of Three and the connection between your emotions and your magick. I remembered dancing in ritual during Morgan and Hunter's handfasting and how beautiful the day was. I remembered the blood-

I shook my head quickly to disperse the images and grabbed the tea kettle. "You must have really enjoyed it there," Duke said softly as he watched me add a shot of brandy to his mug. "I did, but it's nice to be around Nathan again. I did truly miss him," I replied. "You missed stick in the mud?" Duke asked incredulously and I couldn't help but laugh. I knew that Nathan and Duke had an interesting relationship, but they really did like each other underneath all the bitterness. "Yes," I replied, sitting down at the table and passing him the cup. "I missed him. He and his father were the only other family I had after my parents...died." I swallowed at the thought of my parents, who were killed by a Dark Coven when I was a baby."When his dad cut off contact I was 16 and thought I had lost the last possible connection to my parents forever…" "I'm sorry. I didn't know," Duke replied soflty, taking a long sip of his drink. "It's okay. I don't really remember them. I was barely 2 years old when they died and then I lived with my grandmother. I didn't know any other life."

We talked and laughed for another two hours discussing funny family stories, crazy college experiences and ex-lovers. I was in the middle of telling a story about another drunken college escapade between me and Claire when I noticed that it was almost 1:00 am. "Oh goddess! Duke I need to get some sleep! Claire and I have a consult at 8:00 am!" I cried, in realization. He laughed and shook his head. "Okay fine Rose. I will get out of your hair...for now! You aren't getting out of telling me that story though!" I laughed and shook my head. "Goodnight, Duke. I had fun," I said as I walked towards the door with him following me closely. I could feel his body heat behind me. "I did too. We should do this again sometime," he said softly as I turned around and found him enticingly close. "I'd like that," I whispered. He pressed a gentle kiss to the left corner of my mouth before exiting my apartment and leaving me breathless.


	2. Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter picks up about 2-3 months AFTER the prologue.

CHAPTER 1

ROSE

Claire and I walked out of her office and sat on the couch in the lobby. It had been a long day for both of us. On top of working with the police to solve what was being called the "Bolt Gun Killer" case, she still had a days worth of sessions to contend with. I understood now, why she had asked me to come. Despite being so different in personalities, where she was loud I was more quiet. She was pushy, I let people come to me, etc. We looked very much a like and we were often mistaken for sisters. We both had long brown/red hair. We were both tall and seemed to favor the same clothing style of semi-casual, usually wearing nice jeans and a nice blouse with a pair of heels. The biggest difference in our looks was our eyes. Claire had beautiful brown/hazel eyes and I had blue/green/gray eyes that tended to change color depending on my mood and, of course, when I was performing spells.

"So, pray tell what had your face all a glow this morning when you came in?" Claire asked as we both sipped on some soothing mint tea. I blushed and laughed. "It's nothing honestly. I just had a really good evening," I replied, trying to appease her curiousity. "Rose, you know better than to lie to me…and besides, you've been more...glowy…" she said make some strange hand motions to emphasize her meaning and i couldn't help but laugh. "Glowy?" I asked through my laughter. "Yes glowy!" she replied in mock annoyance. "Since you and Duke started seeing each other. It's nice to see. I know you still don't want to talk about what happened in Ireland, but he's good for you...so give me all the dirty details of your latest exploits!" she said excitedly, acting like the ditzy sorority sister that she was when I met her. "Fine," I said in a mockingly annoyed tone. "Duke cooked me dinner last night. Tiger prawns and pasta and red wine. It was really romantic and beautiful. Then we took the Rouge out a ways and did some stargazing," I said as evenly as I could, not wanting to give away that there was more to the story, but I should have known better than to try to hide anything from her. "Rose," she said. "I know there's more to it missy! Now spill!" I blushed an even brighter red, almost matching the highlights in my hair. "You didn't…" she said gasping and I looked away, desperately trying to avoid her eyes. "Rose Hunter! Did you two finally break down and get rid of some of the serious sexual tension that is between you?!" Claire exclaimed in glee and I couldn't help but nod. "Yeah. Yeah we did. It was...as cliche as it sounds...perfect," I said happily. "He really likes you. The only other person I know of that he has willingly cooked dinner for was Audrey and she unintentionally stood him up because she had to work. Of course that led to him sleeping with Helena and her having a kid that aged him….but anyway!" I laughed at the brief version of the story Duke had told me last night during one of our more lucid cuddling moments. "Yeah...I really like him too…" I said softly. "Okay, enough sap talk! You make me feel bad for not having any seriously interesting stories to tell you about me and Dwight!" Claire said with a huff. "Well it's not my fault that you two act like an old married couple and you refuse to share your sexual exploits with me!" We laughed at that since we both knew it was true. She shrugged. "Could be. Anyway…" She began as we went on to talk about the sessions we had each done today so that we both knew what was going on.

When 5:00 pm finally rolled around we gathered our bags and headed to The Gray Gull for dinner and drinks. It was a Friday night and we wanted to relax for a bit. When we arrived I let my mental shields down a little bit so I could read the room. I "saw" Nathan and Audrey in the back corner talking, it looked they were on a date and based on their thoughts and emotions I was pretty sure they both knew it. I pointed it out to Claire and she laughed. "I guess she finally took my advice," she murmured and I nodded in agreement. We moved to the bar where Duke was standing, talking with Dwight. When Duke saw me he winked and I couldn't help but smile at him, blowing him a small kiss. Dwight gave Claire as small kiss on the cheek as she sat down next to him and we ordered our drinks. An hour later Duke and I were deep into a conversation about The Hunter and Audrey's situation when I felt a shift in the energies and quickly reinforced my mental shields up. Someone new was here and whoever it was, could read minds.

MARI

Oh God. This is my own personal hell. I pressed my forehead to the window of the cab I'd picked up at the airport. This town is so small I'm gonna have some serious problems. The thing with hearing people's thoughts is that it's like having 20 different radio stations plus the tv, plus a movie on your computer on all at the same time while listening to your neighbors loud music. Given that, you'd think the fewer the people around me, the better, and to some extent that's true. As long as the number of people is under 5. Any more than that and it's worse than having 500 people around. You see, it's like being in a crowd of people having different conversations. The more people are around, the harder it is to pick out different conversations. It becomes a general din of noise and it's fairly easy to ignore it. When there are only a few conversations around, you can hear what each conversation is about, and it can be harder to tune out. So, in essence, small towns, like Haven, Maine, were hell. What am I doing here? This question had been plaguing me for hours. I'd been on my own for years, I didn't need family. Especially a family I didn't know. But somehow my inner desires were stronger than my sense. Thankfully this Duke Crocker had no idea I even existed, at least not as far as I knew, so I decided to come into town, do some recon, and make up my mind then. "Where would you like me to go miss?" The cabbie's gravelly voice drew me back out of my worries. "Uh…" I paused. Where was the best place to start? The police station? I might have luck at the local paper. "Just drop me off in the center of town and I'll figure it out from there." I ignored his thoughts, which were overly judgmental in my opinion.

The cab pulled over in what appeared to be the town square. I got out of the cab, grabbed my duffel bag, paid the cabbie and walked up to a little gazebo in the center of the lawn. I sat down and tried to think without getting distracted by the thoughts of the people around me. Clearly I didn't fit in. I was wearing classic, boot-cut jeans in a dark wash, a white tank top layered with a purple and black button up, and a black hooded button-up jacket. I didn't think that this outfit made me stick out, but clearly the townspeople walking by thought otherwise. I heard words like "dangerous", "punk", even "outsider". Great. They already hate me and I haven't been here 5 minutes. This is shaping up to be so much fun! Gah! I need a drink! Time to find the local watering hole. I took a breath and closed my eyes, focusing on the thoughts of anyone around me. I could hear everything from shopping lists to the accounts of the previous night, in great detail I might add, of a teen girl debating on "what it meant" and "will he call me back?" I smiled to myself. I remembered those days. Except it was never me worrying. I took another deep breath and tried to focus again. Finally, after a few moments I heard what I was looking for. "I need a drink! Time to head to The Gull." The Gull. That's original for a seafaring town. Who was the genius who came up with that? I quickly grabbed my things and followed the guy.

We headed down toward the ocean. As we walked I looked around. It was actually a pretty town, once you got used to the size. The buildings looked like they came right off a christmas card. They were different colors and sizes and yet somehow uniform. We finally came to a building that looked like an old boathouse. The Gray Gull was painted on a sign out front. Quaint. There were lantern lights on the deck and music and laughter pouring out of the doors and windows. There were a ton of people inside, but I really needed that drink so I decided to brave it. I walked down the driveway and followed the guy through the door.

I was immediately smacked in the face with hundreds of thoughts and emotions. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice or care that a new girl just walked in. There were plenty of people thinking about work and who they wanted to take home, who they shouldn't take home, and all the normal things people think about when drinking. I looked around to find a seat and saw an open stool at the bar. I walked up and ordered a beer, taking a seat and putting my bag on the floor and shrugging off my jacket. As I scanned the room automatically, checking to see if there were any conversations worth listening in on, I overheard someone say "I'm so glad Duke took over this place! It's got such a great vibe!" Oh you've got to be kidding me! Somehow I managed to walk into the one place in town owned by the one guy in town that I still haven't decided to meet yet. Fan-fucking-tastic. I saw an image of a man that must have been Duke swim into the guy's head. Great. And now I know what he looks like. I'm gonna need something stronger than this beer. As I hailed the waitress behind the bar and ordered a whiskey I continued to scan the place. There was a couple on a date in the corner, a girl trying to get a date behind me, and…..wait what? How is someone having a one-sided conversation? What the hell? I turned around to look at a table behind me and saw two women and two men, (Oh crap! one of them was the Man himself!) sitting at a table deep in conversation. I tried to focus individually on each of the people. I could hear both the guys and one of the girls, but the other girl was a complete blank. I couldn't read her at all.

ROSE

I carefully "watched" as the young woman walked to the bar. I kept my eyes trained on Duke and continued our conversation, but part of my mind was focusing on the bright light that was this girl. She looked determined and her mind was filled with anxiety and confusion. I took a deep breath and sent a wave of calm towards her, hoping to soothe her nerves. Her anxiety was putting me on edge and it seemed to spike even more when she realized that she couldn't read me. I quickly downed the last of my Jack and Diet and made my way to the bar with Duke following me as we continued our conversation. Duke stepped behind the bar, pulling my glass with him and I took a seat next to the young woman. I felt her anxiety begin to skyrocket again and I sent another wave of calm. "Hi, You're new here," Duke said as he took the girl in. "Welcome to The Gray Gull. Is there anything I can get you?" he asked as he moved to fill up my glass with more ice. Hello, I whispered tentatively towards her mind. If I was wrong then she wouldn't respond. I was proven right however as I saw her stiffen and look around slowly in confusion. Right here sweetie, I said as I raised a hand in, to anyone who wasn't privy to our conversation, what would look like I was waving my hand at Duke telling him to hurry up with my drink.

Just as he set my drink down and turned to see if the girl wanted anything I sent a wave of unease towards the far corner of the room and an argument broke out, drawing Duke's attention. "I will be right back ladies," he said, patting my hand gently as he passed. I felt her anxiety levels drop a little bit and I turned to her. "Okay, now we can talk without being interrupted by the illustrious man himself. My name is Rose. What's yours?"I asked gently, doing my best to shield her from as many thoughts as I could, hoping this would make her feel a little bit more relaxed.

BOTH

Rose watched as the girl looked around her, even more anxious than before. "I'm sorry. I thought that making things a little quieter might make you feel a bit more comfortable. Am I right in assuming that you're a mind reader?" she asked in the same uninterested tone of voice, thus making their conversation blend in to the din of noise in the room. Mari tried to hide the shock on her face and quickly said, "I'm sorry I don't know what you're talking about." She took a swig of her whiskey and tried to ignore Rose. How could this girl know what I am? And what was she talking about "making things quieter" to make me feel more comfortable? Rose carefully raised the shields of her magick so it surrounded just the two of them, blocking out all mental and physical sound. Mari looked around, obviously confused and flustered. "How are you doing that?" she asked. Rose laughed softly. "Magick!" she whispered as, with slight twist of her wrist, her glass went sliding across the bar and into Mari's hand. "Holy shit," Mari breathed. "I can't believe this is happening. I've never met anyone like me before!" Mari slid the drink back to Rose and moved her stool closer to the strange girl. She had never been around someone that she couldn't read before. It fascinated her, but at the same time scared her. She didn't like not knowing what Rose was thinking. It put her on edge. Rose slowly lowered her mental barriers and smiled allowing Mari to read her thoughts. "Sorry," she whispered softly to Mari. "I'm used to keeping my barriers up as a precaution. If it makes you more comfortable I can keep them down?" "I don't know," Mari said as she stared into her drink thinking. "It might be kind of nice to have radio silence," she said looking up and smiling. "If you know what I mean." "I understand," Rose replied. "I've been telepathic my whole life. My grandmother taught me how to create the mental barriers to block out at least most of the noise," she said softly, a fond tone to her voice as she remembered her grandmother again. She was pretty sure that this girl meant no harm, but she was still cautious. Her mental and aural scan showed no serious malice or vicious intent towards anyone in Haven so Rose took a chance. "I could...teach you...if you want?" "Really?" Mari asked skeptically. "How?" Rose smiled at her. "It'll take practice. You have to learn to center your mind and slowly, brick by brick, build a wall that you can raise and lower at your will. It's hard at first, but I promise it's doable. Here let me show you-" Rose reached forward to attempt a tàth meànma brach, also known as a Wiccan Mind Meld, and was hit with a vision as her skin came into contact with Mari's:

Mari stood on the dock looking out at the ocean, working up the nerve to say what needed to be said. Duke stood behind her, quietly, but still clearly annoyed. What does this girl want? Duke thought to himself. Mari took a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing," she thought to herself. She turned to face him, looking him square in the eyes. "Duke," she paused, not able to get the words out. She took another deep breath and began again. "Duke," she said. "I'm your...sister. Well, half-sister really, my mom is- was, Molly." Duke looked at her as if she was joking. He put his hand to his mouth, the way one does when they are trying not to say something. Mari read him. His mind was a torrent of thoughts. Pictures of a woman who Mari guessed was a much younger version of her mother. "Look," she continued. "I'm not here for money or anything. I just...I'm here because my-our, mom told me to come here. Sort of. In a letter. It's kind of complicated, but she thought I needed to meet you. I'm not really sure why, but she made it seem really important. Oh, and she said to give you this." Mari handed him an unopened envelope with his name written on it. Duke took it without looking at her. He turned back toward the Gull and walked up the dock.

Rose pulled her hand away in shock. "You-...you're his sister?" she whispered, staring at Mari in confusion. Rose was wracking her brain trying to find a moment where Duke had ever mentioned having a sister. Mari pulled her hand away quickly. "What the hell was that?" She asked confused. "I-uh..I...I have the...I have the power of premonition. Sometimes. It...it comes and it goes...you're his sister?!" Rose's voice had dropped to a whisper. Mari looked down at her drink and swirled it around in the glass. "Yeah," she said reluctantly. Than she looked pointedly at Rose with a fierceness in her eyes, trying to make her understand her urgency. "But he doesn't know! You CAN'T tell him!" Rose sighed. "Well that street goes two ways. NO ONE knows that I'm a witch. No one knows about my magick. I won't tell him and I will help you learn about your mental barriers. IF you promise not to tell anyone about my magick," she said softly. Mari looked at her, trying to measure how trustworthy this girl was. She hadn't had anyone in her life that she could trust since her dad died. However, if Rose could really help her than maybe…"Deal," she said, putting her right hand out to shake Rose's. Rose smiled and shook her hand carefully, ensuring that there were no more premonitions in store for her. "Deal. I've got to lower the shield a bit right now. It takes a lot of energy to hold up one as big as this. I'll try to do it slowly so it doesn't just drop," Rose said as she felt a wave of exhaustion hit her. She knew that she was probably pale and she could feel a little bit of sweat beading on her brow, so she slowly lowered the shield that surrounded them and the sounds of the room slowly began to grow louder around them.

Just as she finished dropping the shield Duke came back and noticed how pale she was. "Rose?" he asked worriedly as she swayed slightly. "Are you okay?" he moved to her and she smiled slightly. "Yeah sorry. I'm just a little tired. Umm...Duke I'd like you to meet, sorry I never did catch your name." Mari glanced at Duke. "Mari," she said. "Actually," she continued grudgingly. "It's Mariposa. My mom was a little obsessed with butterflies." Rose continued on, "She just moved to Haven and is looking for a place to stay. I was going to offer her the room above the Gray Gull. At least for the moment? I could come out and stay on the Rouge with you maybe?" Rose smiled slyly up at him and he grinned. "Yeah that'd be fine with me. Nice to meet you Mari. I'm Duke. I own the Gull. You're welcome to stay upstairs in Rose's apartment until you find a place of your own. I'll have Lana, the bartender show you up. I'm going to cut out and take Rose home. She's not looking so good," he said as he quickly shook Mari's hand and then helped Rose up. I'll come by tomorrow morning and we will start working on your mental shields. There's all kinds of teas in the drawer to the left of the sink and a key under the doormat if you want to go up. Here's the way, Rose said softly to Mari, sending her an image of how to get into the apartment upstairs. She smiled at her before quickly moving to say good-bye to Dwight and Claire and heading out with Duke for the night.

MARI

I laughed to myself as Rose walked out of the bar. Tea? Really? Of course she's a tea junkie. I rolled my eyes. No, what I need is whiskey. A lot of whiskey. Despite her mental shield I was still on edge. Every fiber of my being was telling me to run, and yet here I sat. Duke. I rubbed my temples with my fingers. Gah when did my life get so complicated? I suddenly realized how tired I was. Guess I should take advantage of the free bed. The bartender, Lana, was busy bar-flirting with a guy at the end of the bar. I grabbed the bottle of whiskey from behind the bar, picked up my bag and jacket, and walked out to the stairs that led up to the apartment, following the mental map Rose gave me. On the balcony I looked out to the water that stretched endlessly before me. At least the water would help calm my mind. I found the key under the doormat at let myself in.


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

ROSE

I slowly woke up to the feeling of being warm and comfortable. I couldn't move, but that was mainly due to the fact that there was an arm looped tightly around my waist, holding me fast against the source of the warmth. I smiled gently and leaned my head back so it was resting against Duke's bare chest. "Mmmm...I like this…" I said softly. I could feel his breathing change as he woke up somewhat. "Like what?" he mumbled as he adjusted so he was laying on his back and I could lay my head against his chest. I laid there listening to the beat of his heart for a moment before responding. "This. Waking up to you. Waking up in your arms." He chuckled softly and ran a hand along my spine, causing me to shiver. "I like it too," he whispered. I tilted my chin up and looked into his beautiful brown eyes and eagerly accepted the kiss he placed on my lips. I felt myself melt against him as he deepened the kiss, running his tongue along my bottom lip, begging for entrance which I happily granted. Things would have progressed much further had my phone not started ringing at that exact moment. Duke growled softly, "Let it go to voicemail…" but I shook my head. "That's Nathan's ringtone. Something must have happened…" I said as I got up, dragging a blanket with me to wrap around my naked form, and picked up the phone.

"Hey Nate. What's up?" "Rose, are you with Duke?" Nate asked in all seriousness. I sighed, hoping this wasn't going down the protective big cousin road, yet again. "Yes. I'm a big gir-" "Put him on," Nathan said gruffly and I huffed at the dismissal before handing the phone to Duke. "Apparently he wants to talk to you," I said and he looked puzzled. "Nathan?" Duke asked, drawing out the name in confusion. "Well, I'm sorry I was involved in other more enjoyable pastimes until you so rudely interrupted them by calling my girlfriend…" he winked at me and I smiled back. Duke wasn't big about titles so the fact that he was calling me his girlfriend was big. He was listening intently to whatever it was Nathan was saying before finally replying. "Yeah okay. I'll be there...Just let me drop Rose off at the Gull…okay. Yeah. Okay bye." He hung up the phone and handed it back to me. "Apparently there is something off about a suspect and he thinks I might be better at getting some information. I'm going to drop you off at the Gull and then I will head over there," he explained as he got out of bed, not bothering with any sort of covering. He stood in front of me in all his glory and I couldn't help but take in the view. "Like what you see?" he asked and I laughed. "You know I do. So do we have time for a shower?" I asked and he nodded before picking me up and swiftly carrying me towards the shower.

MARI

I woke up suddenly to the noise of a foghorn. Where am I? I blinked and tried to sit up. Oh man! My head! I sat up, clutching my head with my right hand and supporting myself with my left. I looked around at the apartment and saw the almost empty whiskey bottle on the kitchen counter. Damn. That may have been a bad idea. I untangled myself from the bed sheets and stumbled to the door. I opened it and walked out onto the deck, taking in the smell of ocean and seaweed and wet sand. I put my hands on the railing to steady myself and took a deep breath. As I breathed out the events of last night came rushing back. The fact that I practically literally ran into Duke without meaning to, and that girl, Rose. The fact that she knew what I was and said she can teach me how to be in the real world and not have to hide anymore is incredible! At this point all I can do is attempt to tune them all out. I shook my head slightly, trying not to let my hopes get too high, and headed back into the apartment to take a shower. Rose said she would be by later this morning and I wanted to be ready for her this time. As the hot water ran down my back, I tried to relax. I clenched all of my muscles tight and slowly relaxed each one one-at-a-time while taking deep breaths. As my body began to relax, I started to cry, giving in to my fears about my past and my future.

BOTH

Rose gave Duke a quick kiss before jumping out of the jeep. "I'll see you this afternoon. I'm going to show Mari around this morning," she said to him through the window and he nodded. "Okay, just be careful. I'll be at the police station and I'll head here afterwards. How about you and Mari come back here and I can make us all lunch?" Rose thought about it for a moment and then nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me! See you around noon then baby!" Rose turned and made her way up the stairs to the apartment.

As she moved she consciously lowered her mental shields so that Mari could hear her coming and knocked on the door softly. Mari opened the door. "Morning", she said to Rose, still blinking at the sunlight. "Is it always this bright here? I would have thought there would be more fog." Rose smiled and chuckled a little bit. "Oh we get fog, just not this time of year. The sun burns it away pretty quick. Plus Marion does a pretty good job of keeping the weather nice for us." "Who? And what?" Mari asked. "Sorry I forget that not a lot of people know every single Troubled person here. Marion is what you would call a Weather Witch. She can control the weather with her emotions. As long as she stays calm we have beautiful weather, but if it starts switching rapidly it's generally a sign that she's having a very bad day," Rose explained as she moved to sit in one of the chairs on the deck. She gestured to the chair next to her and waited to Mari to sit down next to her. "That time of the month must be fun," Mari said as she moved to take the seat, smiling wrily to herself. "Wait, did you say "troubled?" she asked quickly. Rose nodded. "Yeah, it's what we call them around here. They are people with what would be considered...supernatural or strange gifts. Usually they are triggered by an emotional or traumatic event. They are also genetic. So, for example, if you were to have children, it's highly likely they would end up having your trouble as well," she tried to explain to the best of her abilities. "I know it's a little...confusing...but it's just sort of a way of life around here!" "No, it's not that it's just," Mari said. She stared out at the reflection of the sun on the water. "My mom used to call my thing that. I always just thought it was her way of trying to make it seem less or something. You know how moms can be," she said with a little laugh. Rose laughed slightly, ignoring the twinge of pain that hit her heart at the mention of parents. Mari quickly turned her head and looked questioningly at Rose. "Sorry," Rose said softly. "My thoughts are probably a whole jumbling mess right now. I can put my shield back up if you'd like," she said, hoping to distract Mari from noticing the lack of a mother in any of the images she knew were flying through her head. "I lost my mom when I was five. Cancer," she said with no emotion. "And my dad when I was 16 in a car crash. I get it." She didn't want Rose to feel anxious. Rose smiled tightly at her. "I was two when a Dark Coven came after my family. My entire family is part of a small sect of the Woodbayne clan. Woodbaynes are primarily known for practicing Dark Magick, but our group was one that practiced Light Magick. It...doesn't always sit well with the other Covens. Especially with so few full blooded witches left in this world. They came to ask my parents to join them, but they refused and were killed for it. I happened to be with my grandmother that night so they didn't find me," she explained. Trying to condense the large amount of information. She shook her head. "It was a long time ago, but it doesn't change the fact that it still hurts." Rose looked out across the water for a moment, centering her thoughts and emotions, and then she turned back to Mari. "So! You have two choices, well three. The first choice is we can stay here for the moment and work on your barriers, and then go explore Haven before returning here to have lunch with Duke. The second option is we can go explore Haven first, come back and work on your barriers and then have lunch with Duke. And your third option is to just kick me out now," she said cheerfully."Wait, Duke's coming back here? For lunch? With us?" Mari asked in alarm. She could feel the panic rise in her stomach like a wave rushing toward the shore. Rose smiled softly and sent a wave of calm towards Mari. "Yes. He has no idea who you are and I have no intention of telling him. That's your job. He just wants to welcome you to Haven and since you're staying in the apartment he rents out, he figured it might be a good idea to get to know you." Rose knew she had been taking a risk when she agreed to lunch, but she was hoping that she had been right on her guess that maybe Mari would like to get to know her brother without having to tell him she was related to him. Mari took a deep, centering breath. Ok. I can do this, she thought to herself. Turning back to Rose she smiled, trying to keep her emotions even and not give away how scared she was. "I should probably figure this town out now so that people stop assuming I'm not a towny." Rose smiled. "First off, yes you can do this. It's okay to be afraid Mari. And secondly, that's probably a good idea. Grab your stuff. My car's down in the lot. We can do a driving tour for now. I'll do a walking tour with you and Audrey another time. She knows this town better than I do," Rose said as she grabbed her keys from her pocket. Mari looked down at her jeans, t-shirt, and tennis shoes. "This is kinda it," she said. "I've been on the road since I was 18, I tend to travel light." Rose looked her over. "That's fine. There's some good clothing stores in town if you want to take a look and pick up any necessities. And judging by looking you'll fit most of my stuff so you can throw on anything of mine that you want," she said as she took a quick glance into the apartment. "Need anything from in here?" she asked. "Lemme just grab my wallet," Mari said grabbing a grubby small black leather wallet out of her bag. She stuck in her back pocket and said, "Ready." "Allons-y!" Rose said happily, locking the door and making her way down the steps to her car.

The next few hours were spent driving around the town of Haven. Rose pointed out the different major stores and locations such as the grocery store, the ice cream shop, the hospital and the police station as they drove by them and then began the drive around the outskirts of town. She alternated between showing images and talking out loud when it came to the more difficult things, like explaining how Duke and Nathan had been sent back in time and met Audrey as Sarah, etc. When they finally made their way back to The Gull it was nearly noon and Rose was pretty sure Mari knew as much about Haven and the Troubles as she did.

They pulled up to The Gull and Rose put the car in park. Duke's jeep was already there. "You ready for this?" she asked Mari softly, concerned for the young woman. No, Mari thought. "Sure," she said trying to keep her voice even. Her mind was a complete jumble. She hadn't been this nervous in years. Not since...Mari immediately cut her mind off, not wanting Rose to hear anything about her past. She opened her door with a determined attitude. Time to put on your game face Mar, she thought. Rose smiled, knowing she was nervous. She quickly followed Mari. "It's okay to be nervous," she said softly. "But you don't need to be. He's a big teddy bear. And he doesn't bite." She paused for a moment thinking about that statement and then she giggled. "Unless you want him to…" She laughed at Mari's expression of horror and led her to a table that was set up out on the deck, away from the normal customers. "EW! Please under no circumstance EVER in the history of ever think or feel ANYTHING regarding you, him," she said pointing to the Gull. "And sex EVER! The last thing I need is to know what sex is like with my brother!" Rose couldn't help but laugh even harder as they sat down. Duke joined them moments later and Rose once again performed introductions. "Mari, you remember my boyfriend Duke? Duke this is Mari. You met her last night remember?" she asked jokingly. "Hey! My memory isn't going yet! Yes I remember meeting her. It's wonderful to see you again Mari! I hope she's been keeping you entertained and you are enjoying our little town," Duke said cheerfully as he extended a hand to her. Mari was still trying to scrub the previous images out of her mind as she took his hand and shook it. "Yeah, she's been keeping me busy," she said. Good god! Any more sexual tension from him and I'm gonna jump him. she thought to herself, knowing full well and not caring that Rose could hear. Rose had just gone to take a sip of water and, as she heard that she choked, spraying water everywhere. Duke immediately jumped up. "You okay babe?" he asked and Rose nodded, trying to breathe. "Yeah I'm fine. Just went down the wrong pipe," she explained hoarsely. He nodded and helped her clean up. Jeez, for someone who doesn't want me thinking about such things, you make comments that make it incredibly hard not to! she thought to Mari. Smirking as she sent a small sound clip from the night before with the thought as payback. Mari gagged on air. Ok ok! I get it! It's not you anyway, it's him! Seriously I need brain bleach over here this is….well you're good, let's put it that way. Mind somehow suggesting he keep his mind...and everything else!, off of last night? Mari sent to Rose with a very pointed expression. Duke looked at them and said, "I feel like I'm missing something." Rose and Mari glanced at each other before dissolving into a giggling mess. You should mention it slyly. That way he figures out that you're troubled and can read his mind and will also keep him from thinking about our...up until a few nights ago nonexistent...sex life. Mari grabbed her glass of water and took a sip before turning to Duke. Casually she said, "Could you do me favor and NOT think about what you are currently thinking about? I really try to not know that much about new acquaintances." Duke looked at her confused for a second. Slowly she saw it dawn on his face. "And there it is," she said into her waterglass. Duke stared at Mari for a moment longer before turning to Rose and looking at her for confirmation. Rose just smiled and nodded. "You're troubled?" he asked softly. "And you can read minds?" "Yeah," Mari said, quietly adding "Among other things". Rose smiled at her. "Hows the food coming babe?" she asked, trying to distract Duke a little bit. His smile dropped. "Shit!" he cursed before quickly moving back to the kitchen. Mari laughed to herself and continued to sip her water. "He doesn't even know who I am and I somehow feel violated. You don't happen to know how to remove images from your mind do you?" She asked Rose, who just laughed even harder and shook her head.

The girls continued to talk for the next half an hour about building up mental barriers and how to practice, while Duke came in and out of the conversation as he brought food and drinks out. Finally he sat down in between the Rose and Mari. "Well ladies, bon apetite!" he said happily and they all dug in. "So Mari," Duke asked between mouthfuls. "What brings you to Haven?" Rose could feel Mari freeze up and did her best to send calm, soothing energy towards her. "Oh you know, life got boring. I needed a change of scenery," Mari said casually. She stabbed some pasta onto her fork and shoved it in her mouth, hoping she wouldn't have to say any more. Rose quickly changed the subject. "So Duke, what's the secret ingredient for the Gull tonight?" Duke smiled and tapped her nose. "You know I can't tell you that. It would ruin the whole surprise thing. By the way before I forget, Claire asked me to have you call her as soon as you got a chance. She said something about a case or what not and that it was important." Rose looked at Duke in confusion, but sighed. "Okay. I will go call her right now then. I will be right back guys, continue eating!" Rose sent a quick apologetic look at Mari before quickly walking around the building and up to the apartment so she could have some privacy, leaving Duke and Mari sitting at the table.

Duke turned to Mari. "Ok, so what are you really doing in Haven. No one comes for the scenery. Especially someone like you." Mari looked at him quizically. "Someone like me? What's that supposed to mean?" She asked defensively. Duke looked at her pointedly for a minute, then said, "Just that you don't seem to be the small town type." Mari laughed. "Oh really? Well tell me Mr. Know It All, what exactly is the so-called 'small town type' and how am I not it?" She took another bite of pasta and waited patiently for his answer. Duke took a long swig of beer before replying, "The small town type is someone who's always overly nice. Someone who feels like they are right out of christmas card, always trying to get involved into everyone else's stuff. Someone who actually wants to be involved in small-town business. You don't match that description at all." Mari put her fork down and crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair as if ready to challenge Duke on his assesment. Not that he was wrong, but he couldn't possibly know that much about her after one lunch. "And who says that's not exactly who I am? Who says I didn't come here looking for the quiet tranquility that small towns offer?" Mari said staring Duke straight in the face. Quickly she added, "And who says I'm not just as nosey as the rest of them?" This was true of course, except Mari didn't actually care what she heard, she was just simply looking for a way to pass the time. Like someone who is watching tv without paying attention to what they are watching. Duke smiled at her. "I've been around the world and I'm pretty good at reading people. My ex-...", he paused for a moment thinking, but Mari already knew. "So you were married before? Does Rose know?" She asked calmly, taking a sip of water. She wanted to learn everything she could about Duke and was surprised at this fact. Duke looked down. "Damn, I forgot I was talking to a mind-reader. Yes, she knows. But it's not something we talk about." Mari could see why. "Ok, so you were saying, your ex-wife…". Duke looked up. "Let's just say I have a lot of skeletons in my closet. My past isn't something I'm completely proud of." As he said this, Mari could feel him ever so slightly on edge and she could see pictures of him on a boat, dealing with the type of men Mari used to deal with. Men who only dealt with you because they had to. Men who would rather kill you than entrust their package to you. She nodded and looked behind Duke, somehow not able to look him in the face. Turned out they had more in common than she would have ever thought. "Ok, so I'm not here for the scenery. You got me. But if you are really that good at reading people, than you should have already figured out that I'm not gonna tell you what I'm really doing here. You're right, I'm not the type of person that looks to get involved in other people's stuff. I like to keep to myself. Makes things easier that way. I've also never been one for sticking around much, but your friend Rose…." she paused realizing she was about to give away Rose's secret. "Well she seems nice, and it's been a while since I've had anyone I felt like I could trust." She took another sip of water and added quickly. "But my mom thought I needed to come here for something. Find something or something like that. Probably has to do with this," she said pointing to her head. She wasn't sure why she added that last bit. That was stepping too close to the line, but she couldn't stop herself. She quickly shoved more pasta into her mouth so she couldn't say anything else. Duke looked at her knowingly. "Well, I can't guarantee quiet, but if you're looking for answers about your trouble, you'll find them here. I've got a friend that could help you with it actually." Mari swallowed quickly. "Thanks, but I've got it under control." she said, not wanting to get anyone else involved in her problems. "So what exactly are you doing here?" she added, trying to change the subject. "You aren't exactly the small town type either. Why give up your life of crime? Or did you just suddenly have a change of heart and realize that you were being bad and needed to find some place to settle down? Or," she added leaning towards him, "are you just hiding from your past?" Duke leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "I grew up here and got out the first chance I had, but my dad brought me back. Family thing," he said nonchalantly. Mari looked at him and waved her hand, clearly pressing him for more information. Duke sighed, but gave in. "He told me that if the Troubles ever came back to Haven that I had to come back. Unfortunately he died before telling me that our family is also Troubled." Mari continued to watch him her heart speeding up a little. "What's your trouble?" She asked trying to keep her voice from betraying her. "I absorb troubled blood and it makes me stronger." He paused as if debating whether to go on, but he continued. "Also, if I kill a troubled person, I end their trouble forever. No one in their family will have that trouble ever again." The way he said it made Mari realize that he hated his trouble. But if troubles were passed down through families, why didn't they share their mother's trouble? Maybe her mother had been wrong. Maybe Duke wasn't her brother after all. She felt herself begin to be dissappointed. Even though she wasn't sure she wanted a brother, she had hoped that they would be able to commiserate with each other.

No he's definitely your brother Rose said softly in Mari's head. Mari jumped a little, not expecting Rose's voice. The Crocker Curse cancels out all other Troubles. So even though your mom was troubled, Duke's father, Simon's, Trouble cancelled it out in his son. Rose walked back up to the table. "Sorry about that!" she said, frowning a little bit. "Claire needed some advice on a consult she did today…" she trailed off thinking about the odd conversation she had just had. She shook her head and looked back at Duke and Mari. "So did I miss anything interesting?" she asked as she quickly dug into her plate of food. "Nope" Mari said casually. "Duke and I were just realizing we have a lot more in common than you'd think." she said. Duke nodded in agreement and Rose smiled. "Well I'm glad you two are getting along." They continued to talk about little things throughout lunch and when they had all finished eating, Duke took the dishes back into the kitchen, after giving Rose a quick kiss, and Rose and Mari headed back up to the apartment to begin working on her barriers.


	4. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

MARI

As I walked to the police station I mulled over the past few weeks in my head, trying not to let anyone else's train of thought interrupt mine. Rose was beginning to help me with my mental barriers, but it was still a work in progress. My wall was more of a curb at this point. It was just so hard! But no matter how much I pushed her away with my attitude, she was still here, which I appreciated. I was beginning to let my guard down around her, which for me was a big deal. I found that I actually was beginning to like her and despite our glaring differences, we actually had a lot in common. Very few people ever stuck around long enough to see through me the way people around here seemed to. Not that I ever wanted them to anyhow. I still hadn't told Duke who I was yet and our...friendship...was still in the early stages. The only reason I knew as much about him as I did was because I could read his mind. Without that ability, he'd still be a complete mystery to me. But that was about to change. I woke up this morning after another fitful night. Lately all I was able to "dream" about was that vision Rose had had that first night at the Gull. Ever since that night, I had been plagued with the same nightmare, making sleep rather elusive. I was pretty much surviving on mass amounts of coffee. I actually had considered mainlining it just to make life easier. I told Rose about the nightmare. Her response? "Maybe the universe is trying to tell you something." Oh yeah, the universe was trying to tell me something all right. To get the hell out of Haven and away from Duke as fast as humanly possible! That nightmare couldn't possibly be saying anything good! But this time, annoyingly, my stubbornness was working for me, and so I was on my way to the police station, hoping Rose would be there, to tell her I'd made up my mind. I was going to tell Duke today. I just needed to figure out how.

As I walked into the police station I had to brace myself. Everyone's thoughts and emotions were in overdrive, trying to figure out who did what and where they were now. I scanned the place mentally and "heard" Rose's "voice" from somewhere to my left. I followed the sound and came to an office with a sign that read Claire Callahan. It was open, but I knocked anyhow. This town was making me more polite by the hour. Rose turned, hearing the roar in my head. She looked at me with a mixture of alarm and knowing calm on her roaring died down a little bit as she raised a slight shield around the office ensuring that, while the thoughts and sounds were still there, it wasn't as deafening as it had been before. Thanks, I sent to her. She had a small frown on her face as she continued her conversation with whom I could only assume was Claire and I took a seat by the desk.

She finished her conversation and then turned to me saying, "Claire, I'd like you to meet Mari. She's been staying in my apartment these last few weeks." I put my hand out and Claire shook it. "It's nice to meet you," she said. "Rose has told me a lot about you!" As I moved to sit back down I was confused by all the commotion in her head. Pictures of her, clips of conversation, as if she was trying to remember something. I only ever saw that when someone was faking who they were. But that didn't make any sense because Rose had told me she and Claire had known each other from college and people don't change enough physically after 22 to have this be a completely different person. Even Rose would have picked up on that. Hmm…maybe I was just jumpy because of the whole Duke situation. Then I looked up and noticed the look in Rose's eyes and the confusion and slight wariness that seemed to be permeating her thoughts regarding Claire. Maybe I wasn't as far off the mark as I thought. Something was definitely wrong here. I tried to redirect my thoughts to Duke, hoping to drag Rose away from her conversation, and also hoping to calm her down a bit. I didn't want to make her think I didn't trust her friend...I'm not that rude. Usually. Rose quickly walked Claire out of the office, closed the door and turned around. Breathing deeply in relief. "Sorry about that," she said apologetically. "This whole Bolt Gun Killer thing is making us all a little bit crazy." She moved to sit in the chair next to me. "So you're going to tell Duke?" "Yeah, I feel like I have to, you know? And if I don't do it soon I think I might explode! Being around him is just so...hard," I said deflated. I hated giving in and doing what I knew was right, especially when it felt like someone else put the idea into my head. Rose smiled kindly. "I understand hon. You just gotta do it though. Pull the band-aid off and get it over with. You'll feel much better once you do. I promise." I sighed. "Yeah I know…I've just got this wicked stubborn streak and it feels like...I don't know." Rose came to the couch and sat next to me, putting her hand on mine. The vision once again hit us both. Once it passed she sighed. "I can't see past that. There is something...blocking my Sight. But I can tell you that I know Duke and while he will be upset at first, it won't last long. If anything he will be more upset with me or your mom than with you." I looked at her puzzled. "Why? I'm the one that's been lying to his face these past few weeks. And if someone did that to me I'd be pissed as hell!" I said. Rose nodded in agreement. "Your mom abandoned him when he was just a kid to live another life and raise another child. That hurts. And I've been lying to him just as you have. It doesn't matter though. Like I said, he will be upset for a little bit, but give him some time and he will come around. He told me once that he always wished he had a younger sibling. Apparently his older brother Wade isn't necessarily the greatest guy in the whole world," Rose said, trying to boost my spirits up. "Really? He told you that? That's actually kind of funny," I said with a slight laugh, "Cause I always wanted a big brother. You'd think, knowing that, I'd be all excited about this. But I just…"I feel like I'm just letting him down, I thought before I could stop myself. "Why?" Rose asked softly. "You've no reason to feel that way." She gently placed a hand on my shoulder. "I think you two are more alike than you realize. And once this is all out in the open...you'll BOTH feel better." I knew she was trying to be helpful and reassuring, and she was right about one thing. Duke and I were very much alike. We had somehow managed to live very similar lives before coming to Haven. Damn, I thought to myself. You aren't supposed to know about that, I sent in Rose's direction. Any chance you could forget about that? Rose smiled softly and shook her head. Nope, sorry. Like I told you before there's no spell for that one...unfortunately. "Now come on, I will drive you down to the Gull if you want?" she offered as she grabbed her keys off the desk. I groaned inwardly and stood up, following Rose out the office door. We walked out of the station and over to her car, which was parked in the lot just to the left of the station.

As we got in I said, "Hey, sorry about the random thoughts about Claire. Don't take them the wrong way. Old habits die hard. I'm always suspicious when I meet new people and can't figure them out right away. Like with you!" I added quickly with a smile. "I'm sure she's totally fine though…" I said, trailing off at the end a bit. Rose cringed. "I don't think she is…" she trailed off for a minute as she sent snippets of conversations with Claire from the past few weeks side by side with conversations they had had well in the past. There were glaring holes of obvious confusion and inconsistency in the more recent conversations. "She's not right. And it kills me, but I don't know what it is," she tried to explain.I thought for a moment, staring out the window trying to remember if I had come across anything like this in the past. Sometimes people who have amnesia are like that. They wake up and are a completely different person. I'd had neighbors once who had gone through that. Their 12 year old daughter fell and hit her head so hard she blacked out. When she came too, she couldn't remember anything and where she once loved barbies and the color pink, now she was wanting to dye her hair, get a tattoo, and only listened to punk rock. Reading her was like reading two completely different people. "Is it possible someone in this town has the ability to wipe memories? I mean Audrey is kinda like that...in a weird sort of way. She has no memories at all of who she was before she was Audrey," I asked trying to help. Rose thought about it for a minute and then she grew deathly still. "The only thing that can possibly do that is the Barn. And if Claire went inside the Barn for any reason it would explain her behavior. Or…" her mind was spinning through numerous cases of young women with pieces of missing skin and other strange cases. "Listen Mari, are you okay with being dropped off at The Gull? Or do you want me to stay until you've told Duke?" As much as I wanted her there, in case things got ugly, I could tell she needed to be somewhere else. Also, her mind was giving me a headache. If she kept that up, I wouldn't be able to concentrate with Duke. "No it's cool," I said, trying to sound cheerful. "Go do whatever it is you have to do. Just be careful of that missing skin thing," I said. Rose chuckled a bit. "I will. I'm just hoping it's not as bad as I think. I will come by as soon as I finish up okay?" "Sure," I said. "No hurry, though." We pulled up at The Gull and I opened my door to get out. Just before shutting it I turned back to her and said, "I hope things aren't as bad as you think they are too!" I tried to sound reassuring, but I could feel her anxiety level skyrocket. Or maybe it was just mine. These days it was hard to tell. I closed the door and waved goodbye, watching her drive back up the driveway and turn back towards the police station.

I turned slowly to face The Gull. You can do this, I thought to myself. It's just like David and Goliath, except not at all. As I walked up to the front door I kept thinking Please don't be here, please don't be here, please don't, but as I opened the front door there he was, behind the bar, getting things ready for tonight. Damn. I took a deep breath and walked inside. Duke looked up. "Hey Mari," he said. "What can I do you for?" In his mind I heard him laugh at a memory of Rose saying the same thing to him. I shook my head and I took a deep breath, probably too deep, because it took me a minute to say anything in response. "Duke I was wondering if I could talk to you about something?" I could feel myself getting jumpy. Every part of me wanted nothing more than to hightail it out of there, but I made myself stand awkwardly in the doorway, afraid that if I even lifted a foot to move forward, I would move backwards. "Sure," he said. "Lemme just finish up what I'm doing." Ok, I'm gonna look at this positively. This will give me time to calm down for a sec before I spin out. "Ok, I'm gonna go out to the dock. Just come find me when you're done" I said and practically ran headlong for the side door. What's got her so jumpy? I hope she's not in trouble. I could hear Duke think as I got to the door.

I made my way down the dock and stood, letting the stillness of the water wash over me like a wave of calm. "That's it," I said to myself. "Just breathe. You can do this, just breathe." I practiced relaxing all my muscles so that with each breath I took, I could feel myself begin to fully relax. I could hear Duke walk out and make his way down to the dock. He came up behind me and said, "Ok, so what's this about?" I turned and he must have seen the total fear and agony on my face because he suddenly got really alarmed. "Are you ok?" he asked me. "Is this about Rose? Is she ok?" His alarm was suddenly overwhelming. I put my hands up trying to calm him. "No Rose is fine! Just take a breath. Everything is fine." That last part I said more for my own benefit than his. As he took a breath he said, "Ok, so what's up?" He could still tell there was something wrong, but he had no idea what was coming! "Duke…" I started. It was suddenly like I couldn't talk. Like someone had put me on mute or something. You can do it, I told myself. Just like ripping off the band-aid. "Duke," I started again, this time sounding a little more businesslike. "You know how you asked me what I was doing in Haven and I told you my mom sent me because there was something I needed to find?" I paused, waiting for him to respond. He crossed his arms. "Yeah," he responded slowly, one eyebrow raised. "Well, it wasn't actually something, more like someone." I hoped he could figure out the rest from there, but he was still just as confused as ever. Why did he have to be such a guy?! I let out an exasperated breath. "She sent me here to find you! I'm your...sister," I let the last word hang in the air for a minute. He was still staring at me like he hadn't heard me. Then, as if it suddenly clicked in his brain, he looked at me, or rather, looked through me, as if he was trying to see if I was lying or not. His mind became a slushy of thoughts. Thoughts about his father mostly. I somehow managed to piece together that he thought THAT was how we were related. "Actually we have the same mom," I said looking at the ground. "Molly Davidson." He put his hand over his mouth, trying to stop himself from saying anything. I could feel him getting angry and confused. I tried to send calm towards him, but I was just as freaked out by this as he was so it didn't work. I figured I should quickly get this over with so I could get out. "I'm not looking for money or anything Duke, I just came here because of some stupid letter from my-our" I amended quickly. "Mom. She thought I needed to meet you and that being here would be good for me and I just...I couldn't say no." I suddenly felt completely exposed. I grabbed the envelope that had been inside the letter I'd gotten from my mom and handed it to him. "Here," I said. "This is for you. It's from her. I don't know what it says, but I was supposed to give it to you." I held out the letter to him, still not able to look at him directly. He was still so angry. I felt like I was about to cry and I needed him to take this stupid letter so that I could disappear. The last thing I wanted was to break down in front of him. He finally took the envelope out of my hands and without looking at it, turned and walked back up the dock. I stood, somehow not able to move or breathe. I willed my body to move, to run, to get me as far away from here as possible, but my feet were glued to the dock. I stood there, and for the first time in my life, I heard nothing. I felt nothing. I was completely numb.

ROSE

I was rummaging through boxes of files in my office when my phone rang. I looked down at the caller ID and saw it was Duke. I quickly grabbed it, knowing that, by now, Mari had probably already told him that she is his sister. "Hey babe," I said. "Did you know?" he asked softly. His voice was deadly calm. "Know what?" I asked him, knowing what he was getting at. "Did you know that Mari was my sister? That we shared the same mother?" I could hear the anger in his voice and I sighed. "Yes. I knew. I figured it out the first night she was here. She made me promise not to tell you Duke! It was her secret to tell, not mine," I tried to explain to him, hoping his mind was clear enough to hear reason. "Yes, but you still kept it from me!" he yelled and I flinched. "Duke. It's not me you're angry with. Or Mari. It's your mom. And I get that, but please don't take it out on either of us. I was doing what I thought was best and she was scared. She never knew she had a brother and then all of sudden, on her 18th birthday a letter shows up from her long dead mother telling that she has not ONE, BUT TWO brothers. Two brothers that she never knew about that were at least 10 years older than her. She was terrified. I wasn't going to make it worse. So I gave her a way to get to know you better before telling you…" I trailed off, hoping that he had heard what I said and understood.

As I stood up I noticed a shadow falling across mine so I turned, seeing Claire standing behind me. "Hey Claire," i whispered. "Give me one-" I was cut off as she grabbed the lamp off my desk and slammed it against my head. Everything began to go hazy as I struggled to tell Duke to call Nathan and then it all went black.

I woke up later with a splitting headache, tied to a chair in a field. I glanced around me and saw the ever present and mysterious Barn standing nearby. I struggled to free my wrists enough to use my magick and undo the ropes, but I heard Claire's voice tsking at me from my left."There, there little witch. No struggling for you. I know just what to do with you, but FIRST I need to use you to get them all here…" she explained as she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket. "Claire why are you doing this?!" I screamed in confusion as her words swirled around me. It made no sense. Claire didn't know I was a witch. And she certainly wasn't capable of this unless…"Skinwalker!" I hissed, glaring at the woman in front of me. She smiled at me and laughed. "Nicely done darling. Figured it out pretty quick, but not quick enough to save yourself!" She then turned away from me and spoke into the phone. "Hello Lucy," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "I have a friend of yours. Bring your boy toy and meet me at the barn or we shall see what I can do with a witches body." She hung up and spun around smiling. "Oh this is going to be fun!" she said clapping her hands in mock excitement. I glared at her, fury rippling through my body. "You don't know what you've done!" I whispered. "I know you've been keeping the fact that you're a full blooded witch a secret from all of those that know and love you. I also know that if...say Lilith Delaney...ever found out where you were...well...this whole town would be razed to the ground. And lucky for you, I just so happen to have Lillith on speed dial...so shut up...or I'll make the call," she hissed. I stared back at her with as much defiance as I could possibly muster, even as fear trickled down my spine.

As the sun began to rise, I saw the first meteor of The Hunter fall from the sky and my heart broke. Today was The Hunter. I saw Audrey, Nathan, Duke, Dwight and Mari come out of the forest path and make their way towards me. I could feel the energy and knew what was happening. Audrey had made her decision. Mari! Please stop her! Don't let Audrey go into the Barn! Please! I can't do anything! I cried, hoping she could hear me even at such a distance. She looked at me but didn't do anything. I saw her reach for something behind her. Suddenly, she grabbed Audrey's left arm and brought it around to her back. In the same motion, something glinted at Audrey's throat; a knife! I suddenly realized in panic. I could feel anger and frustration rolling off her in heavy waves. No! What are you doing? I sent to her. She ignored me. Duke and Nathan ran towards her, yelling at her, trying to get her to put the knife down. She just held the knife tighter to Audrey's throat saying "Come any closer and I'll end her!" Duke grabbed Nathan by the arm and held him back. I saw Mari turn to Claire, businesslike. "You want her? Well I want Rose, so how about a trade. Give me Rose, unharmed, and you get her," she said making Audrey move one step further. "Why on earth would I trust you?" Claire asked her calmly. Mari glared at her for a second, but then her expression changed to one of calm and I could feel her energy change. "I don't care about this one," she said gesturing to Audrey with her head with a slight smile, "But her," she said nodding to me, "I need her. Give her back to me and Audrey's all yours." I couldn't believe this was happening. I wanted to believe that Mari was bluffing, but nothing in her mind or energy gave her away. Claire considered for a moment, clearly trying to figure out the same thing. She moved to me, clearly deciding that Mari was telling the truth. "Alright," she said. "Why don't we do this at the same time?" Mari moved closer. "Fine by me," she said. "No!" I screamed out loud, but it was too late, Claire was already untying my hands. As the last of the bonds fell away I flung my hand out pushing her back against the side of the barn hard. I glanced at Mari, furiously, only to see her grinning. "What the hell was that about?!" I asked as she let Audrey go and put the knife back in her pocket. Nathan, Duke and Dwight came up to us slowly, watching me with apprehension as I held Claire, struggling, against the side of the Barn. She shrugged. "This isn't my first rodeo," she replied. "Sorry Audrey. I needed a way to get her to let Rose's hands free." Audrey nodded in understanding before turning to me. "Are you troubled?" she asked in confusion and I shook my head sighing. "No," I said as I clenched my jaw. Claire was struggling even harder. "I'm a full blooded witch!" I shouted as I dragged Claire forward and then thrust her back harder, knocking her head against the barn, which caused the skinwalker to lose control of the skin and reveal her true form. "And that's not Claire," I said softly, my heart breaking as I realized that Claire was most certainly dead. I saw my pain reflected on Dwight's face as he came to the same conclusion and took off back through the forest.

"Good deduction Ms. Hunter," a voice said from behind us and we all spun to see a tall black man walking towards us. "Agent Howard?" Audrey said in confusion. "It's time Audrey." was all he responded with and I felt my heart break even more. Audrey looked resigned and quietly nodded. She moved to quickly say goodbye to myself, and Mari before standing in front of Duke, who was trying to stay strong. I couldn't hear what was said, but he nodded in confirmation and when she walked away, he was holding her gun. She then moved to Nathan and I thought my heart was going to be ripped out of my chest. The pain and anger and heartbreak were rolling off of them in waves. They said their goodbyes and Audrey quickly moved towards the Barn. Duke moved to stand between Nathan and the Barn, using the gun as incentive for Nathan to stay put. I was leaning against Mari as tears rolled down both of our faces. The pain that was flowing around us was too much for either of us to handle. As we sunk to the ground everything went to hell.

Nathan broke away from Duke and made a run for the Barn door, just barely missing it. Then, he rounded on everyone, pointing his own gun at Agent Howard. "Nathan, NO!" I screamed, but it was too late. He fired three shots into the guys chest and then he was falling as one of the Guard members who had been hiding, Jordan, fired on him. I immediately jumped up and struggled to him. Mari followed behind me closely and Duke was beside us all in an instant. I noticed the Barn beginning to implode and the look that was shared between Nathan and Duke. "No!" I whispered as Duke met my eyes. "I'm sorry," he said, quickly giving me a kiss on the lips. "I'm sorry," he said again to Mari, squeezing her hand for a moment and then he took off, jumping into the Barn at the last second. "NO!" I screamed in horror. I couldn't sense Duke anymore and I glanced at Mari to see the same panic on her face. He was gone. I looked down and made quick work of the wound on Nathan's side, using a small healing spell before I tried to move towards where the Barn once stood, but it was gone and there was nothing left. I sunk to my knees in shock. Duke was gone for good.


	5. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

MARI

I sat on the top of the hill looking out at the ocean and how the sunlight played on the water. It had been 2 months since Duke jumped into the Barn after Audrey. I came up here because it was only place, save actually being in the water, where the emotions and thoughts of the town below me couldn't touch me. I had taken to coming up here even more lately because Rose was having a hard time teaching me in the two months since...I took a deep breath. Even just thinking about it caused my heart to feel like it was being stabbed. I still woke up screaming Duke's name every night, replaying that whole afternoon in my head. For half a second I always thought it was just a horrible dream and that none of it had ever happened, but as I woke up more, everything came flooding back and I always ended up in tears. It was so unfair! I went over it again in my head.

After Duke walked back into the Gull, I stayed on the dock for what seemed like hours. I stared out at the water, focusing on it so I didn't have to hear and feel what was going on inside the bar. Suddenly I felt a wave of panic hit me and Duke ran out calling my name. In his head I heard Nathan's name and parts of a conversation that seemed recent. Something about Rose being in trouble? I turned around and ran up the dock. As we drove Duke said nothing, but I could feel the fringes of his mind beginning to accept me. I actually allowed myself to feel hope. And then we were in a field and I was trying to get the skinwalker to let Rose go, and then complete confusion. It was like I was watching a movie or something, but without the sound. So much commotion and nothing made sense. I couldn't pick out what people were actually saying and what they were thinking. And though there were only a few people, everyone's emotions were so high it felt like I was being drowned, pulled under by everything. All I remember was Duke giving me a tight squeeze and apologizing. I didn't know what was going on. I should have said something, done something, but I couldn't think or move. After that it was like I sort of blacked out. The next thing I remember is waking up in the apartment above the Gull two days later. Rose explained that because of all the emotional turmoil between earlier and the Barn, my body was as exhausted as if I'd run a marathon. I could tell that she was trying to be numb. She thought she was doing it for my benefit, but I could tell she was doing it for hers. I smiled. We were quite the pair, Rose and I.

I turned around and walked to where the Barn had been two months prior. I stood listening, trying to hear Duke. Trying to feel something. I had done this every day since it happened. I couldn't resign myself to believing he was gone for good. It was like some cruel joke. But so far, nothing. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I grabbed it, sighing. I looked down at the caller ID. "Hey Rose," I said trying not to sound as deflated as I felt. "What's up?" "You need to come back to the Gull," she said in a hushed, hurried whisper. "Now!" I was suddenly alarmed at her urgency. "Is everything alright?" I asked making my way down the hill. "Is this about Duke? Have you heard something?" "No," she said. "Well not exactly. I can't explain right now, but you've just gotta come back!" "Ok," I said trying to sound calm, hoping that would ease her anxiety. "I'll be there in 15." I hung up the phone and ran to her car, slamming the door shut and turning the key at the same time.

As I pulled up next to Duke's jeep in the driveway, I felt a strange shift in the air. A shift that meant only one thing: A newcomer in Haven. I got out of the car and walked into the Gull. I saw Rose sitting at a table with a man I'd never seen before. He looked like he was tall, but it was hard to tell since he was sitting down. His limbs were long though, and his skin was pale. He looked kind of like a vampire, and his black greasy hair didn't help. It made him look even sallower than he did already. I moved to the table and Rose glanced up, clearly both relieved and panicked at the same time. "Mari," she said as I came over. "I'd like to introduce you to Wade Crocker, Duke's older brother." Don't tell him who you really are! she sent to me. There's something off about him. I don't like it. I turned to Wade. "Wow, Duke never mentioned he had a brother," I said extending my hand to his with a genuine smile. "It's really nice to meet you!" Rose was right, there was something off about him. I couldn't tell what, but there was something there, at the fringes of his mind. It was the kind of feeling you get when you see someone you're not too sure about. It's not that there is anything the person is doing or saying that would make you nervous, but you can tell there is something about them that tells you to stay away. "So what brings you to Haven?" I asked as politely as I could, taking a seat at the table. Rose jumped in then. "He wants to take over the Gull, settle Duke's affairs, you know…since Duke…" I could feel her heart breaking yet again. "Oh right," I said, trying to send a wave of calm to her. "That makes sense," I said turning back to Wade. "Yeah," Wade said looking at me. "Unfortunately, Duke didn't make it very easy. He doesn't have a will or anything so I might be here for a while trying to sort through everything. Any help you could give me would be great!" I couldn't help the sudden wave of guilt that washed over me. "Unfortunately I only just moved here. I don't really know too much about your brother," I said. Rose squeezed my hand under the table. "Well, if you think of anything, let me know?" Wade asked. "Of course!" I said. Wade got up and made to move toward the door. As he turned back I felt the hackles on my neck go up. "Oh, and I know Duke was letting you live upstairs, but I think you should probably find somewhere else to stay. I don't know what I'm gonna do with this place, but it would be easier if I didn't have to worry about tenants." The way he said it made me want to get up and smack him across the face, but Rose held my hand tighter under the table. It's not worth it Mari. We can stay with Nathan. It'll be fine. It might be better to stay as far away from Wade as possible anyhow. Technically, it is his place now. I slapped a smile on my face and nodded to Wade as I watched him walk out the door.

When he was back on the road, I turned to Rose. "How can he do that?!" I asked a little too loudly. "And the Gull is no more his than it is mine! I can run it! I have been for the past two months! What the hell is he doing here?" I stood up and stalked over the bar, grabbing a glass. Rose gave me a reproachful look, but said and thought nothing. " I was just getting water," I said. "I never said you weren't, " Rose said coming over to the bar. "And Wade doesn't know, nor does anyone else for that matter, that you and Duke are related. And I think we should keep it that way for now. And you heard what Wade said. He's here to get Duke's affairs in order." "Yeah, but do you really believe him?" I cut in. "I mean, Duke's been gone for two months and he shows up now? I don't think so. And like you said, something's off about him." I took a sip of my water and put my glass down. Rose looked at me the way a mother might look at her frustrated child and calmly said, "Just let him handle things and leave. We can move in with Nathan and then when Wade leaves, we can reopen the Gull and move back. It'll be fine." She said, then added pleadingly, "I don't want to give him any reason to stay longer than he has too ok?" I sighed, letting out a breath. I put my hand in hers and squeezed it saying, "Yeah ok. You're right as usual." We both laughed a little at that and went upstairs to begin packing our things.

ROSE

I stood on the edge of the small deck on the upper deck of The Gull. Mari had just left to go bring the last box of our things to Nathan's house and I just needed a moment to breath. I had cleared out all my stuff from the Rouge as well, at the request of Wade, this morning and had come to discover that it was all too much. I leaned against the railings and hung my head, allowing the pain to wash over me in waves. I had lost my muirn beartha dan. My soulmate. He was gone. Lost. Dead. Who knows. But he was gone. I couldn't feel him through our bond and it was killing me. I tried to be brave and keep my emotions in check when Mari was around, but it got harder and harder every day.

As wave after wave of pain crashed over me and tears began to flow down my face I missed the sounds of footsteps coming up the steps and stopping behind me until I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders as they turned me around. I flinched, expecting to see Wade, but was surprised to find Dwight. He simply pulled me into a tight hug and held me as I finally just let go and cried. I sobbed and sobbed until my knees gave out and Dwight picked me up and settled us on one of the chairs. He rubbed my back soothingly, but I could feel that he was crying too. I could feel his pain over losing Claire. We had both lost someone we loved dearly and nothing could bring them back. And that hurt almost worst than anything else.

Slowly our crying subsided and I leaned back to look at him. "I'm sorry about that I just-" he cut me off. "There's no need to apologize Rosie. I know that you've been trying to stay strong. And I know it's hard. I'm there too. Just, know you can come to me okay?" he said softly, pulling me into a hug again. "I will Dwight. And know you can always come to me okay? We'll get through this together," I said softly against his chest. We stayed that way for a few more minutes before deciding that we should probably go. Dwight walked me down to my car and, after making plans to meet up for coffee later in the week, we parted ways.

When I arrived at Nathan's house I found Nathan sitting on the porch with his head in his hands. I could sense Mari moving around in the house, so I sat down on the porch with Nathan. "What's up?" I asked softly, knowing that something was on his mind. "I'm running out of reasons for NOT letting The Guard just kill me…" he said softly and my head snapped up and I felt Mari still inside. "Nathan…" I said softly. "No. Audrey's gone and the Troubles are still here. I shot Howard and that's what kept the Troubles from going away. So...maybe if I die they will…" I shook my head. "No Nathan. You dying will only hurt those around you. Please!" I begged. "If nothing else just...take some time off. Get out of Haven for a bit...go on a road trip or something…" I suggested slowly, hoping he would take that rather than The Guard. He sighed and finally nodded. "Okay...I'll leave tonight. You and Mari are welcome to stay here, but I need to get out of town for a little while…" I nodded in understanding. "As long as you come back…" I said and he nodded in agreement.

A few hours later Mari and I were standing together on the porch of Nathan's house as his bronco pulled away down the road and towards the outskirts of town. "He'll be back…" I whispered, not sure if I was trying to convince Mari of it, or myself. "Hey before I forget, is this yours?" Mari asked Rose, holding out a book titled Unstake My Heart. Rose shook her head. "Nope I've never seen it before. It must have been Duke's," she replied softly before heading inside. Mari nodded slowly and then followed Rose inside, placing the book in one of the many boxes of Duke's stuff.

MARI

"He's been here 4 months!" I said exasperatedly under my breath as Rose and I sat at a table in the Gull, enjoying, or at least attempting to enjoy, our lunch. "I thought he would be in and out? What the hell is he still doing here?" I whined. Rose looked out the window as she answered me calmly. "He likes it here. He likes the attention that he's getting and from what I've been able to tell, he's having issues with his wife." I stabbed at my ravioli, not able to spear one with my fork. I was too annoyed to eat anything anyhow. You need to eat something hun. Rose sent to me. "Yeah well, tell that to my stomach," I said, sounding more like a spoiled teenager. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Sorry," I said. "Guess I'm still getting used to having real friends and having to keep my emotions in check." Rose smiled. "I get it. It's hard for me too, even with the barriers. How's that going by the way?" she asked me. Not great. No matter how hard I tried, my barrier seemed more like a low retaining wall than a real wall. I started explaining it to Rose and we launched into a long discussion about how to relax and not let outside distractions get in the way. Halfway through the conversation I stopped, cocking my head to one side. No, that's not possible. I'm hearing things. I shook my head. Rose looked at me funny and I realized I had my fork halfway to my mouth. I set it down on my plate and felt something. There it was again. "Hon, are you o-" Rose tried to ask me. "Shhh!" I said, holding up my hand. "Hold on a sec…" I closed my eyes, trying to find what I was looking for. But that's not possible, I thought. I stood up suddenly at the table and ran for the door, nearly knocking into the Lana. I threw the door open, not even looking back, but hearing Rose's footsteps behind me. I ran for her car. Toss me your keys! Rose dug in her pocket for a second and then pulled them out, throwing them to me mid run. I grabbed them, threw the car door open and slammed the key into the ignition. I already had the car in drive by the time Rose got into the car. "What is going on?" she asked breathlessly as she buckled her seatbelt. "I'm not sure," I said as we drove out of the parking lot and onto the road back into town. I didn't want to tell her in case I was wrong. Come to think of it, I didn't want to admit it to myself in case I was wrong. I sped into town going way too fast, but unable to make myself go any slower. I was trying to focus on what I'd heard and felt back at the Gull and barely paying attention to the road. I pulled up right in front of the police station, not even bothering with the meter. If I was right about this, I really wasn't going to care about getting a parking ticket.

I ran up the steps to the station with Rose right behind me. I flung the door open and bolted inside to Nathan's-Dwight's office, I corrected myself. I could feel the anxiety and curiosity that came from the cops and from Rose, but I didn't care. I had to find out what the hell was going on! I saw that Dwight's office door was open. Oh good, at least I won't have to worry about knocking it down. I smiled inwardly to myself. I suddenly stopped just outside his office. Ouch! Rose had just walked headlong into my back. Sorry I sent. Why are we stopping? Rose asked. I wasn't sure, but in my haste to get here I hadn't thought about what it would mean if I was wrong, and that sudden thought scared me. What if this was some kind of trick? Or what if I was hearing things? It doesn't matter, I told myself. You have to know, either way. I nodded to myself and walked into Dwight's office.

What I saw nearly knocked me over. Dwight was standing behind his desk, looking at something with, "Nathan?" I heard from behind me. At the moment, as happy as I was to see him, I kept scanning the room. I saw a golden haired boy who looked to be about my age, his arms inked with tattoos. I couldn't see his face because he was talking to a man with shoulder length, dark brown hair that had been pulled back into a ponytail, whose back was turned to me. The dark-haired man looked up and turned when Rose spoke and I could feel sadness and happiness rolling off of him in huge waves. He walked around the golden haired boy and walked the short distance over to her. I stopped for a minute, reminding myself that he had only known me for who I was for a few hours, but he had been in love with her for months. I was surprised to feel tears threatening to roll down my cheeks.

ROSE

I followed Mari into the Police station in confusion. She wasn't explaining why we were here and all the emotions around us were on high alert. Confusion and disbelief were the common theme. As I rounded the corner I saw Nathan standing at the table, holding some files. "Nathan?!" I asked in utter surprise. I moved to give him a hug and froze. On the other side of the table there was a man with shoulder length brown hair tied in a ponytail, broad shoulders and lanky arms. I knew that body, but it was impossible. He turned around and I felt my heart begin to beat rapidly as his beautiful brown eyes met mine. "Duke?" I managed to say as the tears pricked my eyes.

He moved towards me slowly, unsure of my reaction, until he was standing directly in front of me. "Rose," He whispered and I felt the tears spill over my cheeks and I slowly reached my hand out to touch his chest, half expecting my hand to go through him as it had in many dreams before, and I began to sob when it rested gently above his rapidly beating heart. "Mo chroi," I whispered. "Mo ghra!" I threw my arms around him and held him tightly. "I thought I'd lost you!" I whispered against his shoulder as he held me just as tightly. "How long?" he whispered softly pulling back to look into my eyes. "Six months…" Mari answered from behind us. I could feel anger hinting to break through her control. Duke turned slightly, looking at her before pulling her into the embrace. I wrapped an arm around her waist and we held onto each other tighter. I felt Duke press a kiss to the top of my head and then saw him press one to Mari's.

I gently disentangled myself from the embrace for a moment to move to hug Nathan tightly. "Welcome back," I said to him as I held him tightly. "It's good to be back." We smiled at each other and he moved so that we were all close together. I gripped Duke's hand as he wrapped his other arm tightly around Mari's waist and I wrapped mine around Nathan. Dwight came to stand nearby and I smiled up at him as well. We were all finally home together again.

_**QUICK Author's note! *Mo chroi means My Heart and Mo ghra means My Love in Gaelic or Irish. **_


	6. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

MARI

Duke disentangled himself from the hug, keeping one arm wrapped around my waist. He whispered something in Rose's ear and kissed her cheek. Then he leaned over to me. "Come here," He said guiding me to one of the tables in the main room of the station. He pulled out a chair and motioned for me to sit down. I ignored the chair and perched on the table crossing my legs under me, giving me a little more height so that I could look him squarely in the face. He sighed and rolled his eyes. I smiled. "So what's up?" I asked trying to hide the nerves I felt and sound more casually curious. "I think we need to talk about this whole 'us being related' thing," he said leaning against the table. Both our minds were racing and the between the two of us, the nerves and tension could power this whole town for a month! If this was really going to happen, I needed to be somewhere I felt calm. Time to take this awkward party to the water. "Not that I want to break up this whole 'Welcome Back' party we've all got going on here, but would you mind if we took this," I said pointing to him and myself. "Down to the water somewhere? All the emotions in this room are making me feel like I drank 20 cups of coffee." Duke took a deep breath before replying. He looked towards Dwight's office, thinking of Rose and not wanting to leave her again. "Nevermind," I said trying to backtrack quickly. "I'll be fine." "No," Duke put a hand on my back. "Let's go." I let him lead me out of the station as I sent Going down to the docks to Rose. I felt her disappointment, but also her understanding. Good luck! she sent back to me.

We rounded the corner to the docks. Duke and I were walking side by side. "So who's the uptight blond with the tats?" I asked him as we walked toward the Rouge. "Jace," he said matter-a-factly. "When I fell out of the Barn I ended up in a random ally in New York. He...brought me back," he said, clearly leaving out a lot of details. I saw clips of scenes from an ally. A huge ugly black thing with sharp teeth. An Asian kid with blue spiky hair, the eyes of a cat and crazy style. Jace fighting something. "Oh," I said simply. I wanted to smack myself in the head. Oh? really? That's the best you can come up with? I huffed at myself. "What?" Duke asked, looking at me as we got to the Rouge. "Nothing," I said shaking my head. I walked across the deck and stood against the other side of the boat. He came and stood next to me.

We both stood silently for a minute, looking out at the water. "So," Duke started, trying to get the conversation going. I couldn't look at him. I was terrified of what would come out of my mouth. I was angry, sad, happy, confused, and furious all at once. I started to bite the right corner of my bottom lip, trying to not think of anything. Duke took my right hand in his and squeezed it. "Look, I'm sorry about the other day. Or, other month I guess," I was trying to stuff my anger as far down as I could. "It's cool," I said still not looking at him, pulling my hand away. "No it's not," Duke turned to face me. "I was just…" he paused trying to find the right word. I thought about offering "surprised" but thought better of it. My anger and frustration started to roll off me in waves, so I continued to stare into the distance, praying like hell I didn't start crying. I hadn't felt this vulnerable in a long time and I felt myself bring up all my walls. "Shocked," he finally finished. "And angry and confused and...scared to be honest." I snorted. What the hell did you have to be scared of? I thought to myself. "No seriously," he continued. "I've spent my whole life living for me, and being pissed at my mom for leaving, never knowing where she was or what happened to her, and the only brother that I knew of was, well, a bit of a disappointment to be honest." "Got that right," I said under my breath. Unfortunately Duke heard me. "Wait, you know Wade? How?" "He's here, in Haven," I said picking at the rust on the railing. "He came to settle your affairs and never left." "Damn," Duke said. "Look," he continued, "I just wanted to apologize-" "For what?" I asked cutting him off. I finally turned on him, my anger finally getting the best of me. "For being mad? For storming off? I'm the one that came and screwed everything up. I'm the one that came and told you that your mom had a life after she left you!" I realized I was practically screaming but I didn't care. Duke's face showed how hurt he was by my reaction, but again I didn't care. I kept going. "Or are you sorry for jumping into an imploding barn and disappearing for 6 months leaving the rest of us to assume you were dead? Well if that's the case don't worry about it! Don't worry about me! I was fine! I'm used to people pulling the disappearing act, in fact I'm the one who usually does it! It's Rose you should be worried about! She completely fell apart after you left!" I realized I was walking backwards, storming off the deck of the Rouge, heading back for the dock. I could feel the hurt coming from Duke. That's it! I thought Keep going, push him away, don't let him get any closer! "Mari," Duke said calmly, but with a slight pleading in his voice. "No!" I spit back, "Forget it! Just forget it!" I turned and started to run but he grabbed my hand, stopping me. I struggled shouting, "Let me go!" but I began to feel him pull me towards him. "No," I said struggling as he pulled closer to him. I was crying so hard at this point I couldn't see. I felt his arms wrap around me tightly. "Shh," he said soothingly, resting his cheek on the top of my head as he gently rocked us both back and forth. I sobbed into his chest, letting go of everything I'd been holding back for months. My arms were pressed between our chests so I moved them so that I could wrap them around him tightly. "I'm sorry!" I sobbed into his chest. "I'm sorry!" "It's ok Mari," he said in response. "Everything is gonna be okay."

We were sitting on a bench on the deck of the Rouge. Duke's right arm was wrapped around my curled up form. I was resting my head on his chest with my right arm looped around his stomach. We had spent the last hour or so like this, talking about our lives as kids. I told him everything I could remember about our mom and how the house always smelled like chocolate chip cookies because she loved to bake so much. He told me about his dad and about growing up in Haven and how, when he was 21, he'd gotten the Rouge and left to see the world. I had strategically gotten out of telling him about my life after 18. Everything had been so good I didn't want to ruin it.

As we talked about one of his trips to China I suddenly felt the urge to kiss him right on the mouth. Rose really? I thought. I laughed out loud and made to sit up. "What?" Duke asked. "I mean I know this story is odd, but I don't think it's that funny?" That made me laugh even harder. "No!" I said between laughs. "It's not you, Rose is walking up the docks and…" I paused. How do I explain this without making this really awkward? "I should probably go," I said as the laughter started to subside. Duke looked at me, clearly wanting me to stay longer. "Besides," I said cheerfully. "I've got to go thank that sullen tattooed blondy." Duke looked at me and I saw images of me and blondy together, kissing, holding hands,- "Hmm…" I said outloud, cutting off his train of thought. "Maybe." I smiled and nearly skipped off the boat as Rose walked up. I winked at her and made my way down to the dock. "Don't you dare!" Duke called after me. I waved my hand at him without looking back. Oh great. He's officially been my big brother for an hour and he's already got the overprotective thing down! It's doesn't matter anyway, I was only kidding! If anything, this guy's going to be nothing more than my plaything for a few nights and then he'll be gone.

ROSE

I took a deep breath as I stepped up the gangplank and onto the Rouge. It had been almost six months since I had set foot on this boat. Six months of absolute hell. I felt Mari coming towards me and smiled as I saw her come around the corner. "Hey," I said, pulling her into a hug. "Everything go okay?" I asked softly and she nodded. "Yeah. Things are better. Go. He's waiting," she said, nudging me towards the stairs and winking. I nodded and quickly made my way down the stairs.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs I took a deep breath and turned the corner to see Duke. He was standing with his back to me looking through one of the port holes, if he heard me coming he didn't make any motion to turn around. "I wasn't even gone long enough to really miss this place," he said quietly as I moved close enough to place my hand on his arm. "What do you mean?" I asked and he turned towards me, pulling me into his arms. "For you it was six months right?" he asked softly leaning his forehead against mine and burying one hand in my hair as I nodded. "For me, it's only been two days. I was only in the Barn for about thirty seconds before it spit me out in an alleyway in New York." I stared at him in confusion. How was it possible? He had been gone for six months! It was six months of loss and grief and pain and-he pulled me even closer, if that was even possible and he gently pressed his lips to mine, cutting off my train of thought. "But I had more than enough time to miss you," he whispered against my lips. I felt myself melt against him as the kiss moved from soft and sweet to deep and passionate in a matter of seconds. Clothes went flying in all directions as we made it our mission to have every possible inch of skin touching.

While it may have only been days for him, it had been six months of celibacy and pain for me. This was a night for healing. He stooped to wrap his hands around my thighs and lift me up as I wrapped my legs around his waist, never once breaking our kiss as he carried me from the living room into our bedroom. Duke laid us down on the bed and quickly began kissing down my neck and abdomen, making his way closer and closer to the apex of my thighs when we suddenly heard, "DUKE?!" from behind us. My eyes shot open to find Wade standing at the door the bedroom, eyes wide and confused. I quickly grabbed a blanket and covered myself as Duke growled and spun around, his face angry. "Hi Wade. Yes I am back from the dead. Now please get off my boat so I can continue to ravish my girlfriend whom I haven't seen in six months. Thanks!" he said as he slammed the door in Wade's face. "Now, where were we?" he asked with a gleam in his eyes before pouncing on me.

Much later we lay curled up on our bed sated for the moment and just enjoying the moment together. "Not bad for a man who was supposedly dead for the last six months huh?" he asked me jokingly and I couldn't help but laugh at him. "Not bad at all," I whispered, placing a gentle kiss to his chest.

MARI

I walked into the Gull, immediately hit by an emotional wall. Damn, this guy's got more problems than I do! I walked over to the bar asking Lana to grab me a beer. She handed it to me and I made my way to the table that Jace was sitting at. It was in the back corner and gave him a perfect view of the room without being obvious. Exactly what I would have done in a new place. From that seat he would be able to see anyone coming up to him, any potential threat, and also be able to make a quick exit. I watched him watch me and I sent calming waves towards him, hoping he wouldn't run. I walked up and sat down at the table.

In this light I could see the dark lines of tattoos on his arms and at his neck, just above his shirt collar. His arms were muscular. He was wearing a black t-shirt, black leather pants, and dark shoes. The light made his hair looked like a halo. His face had strong features; big golden eyes, sharp nose and jawline, and full lips. He raised an eyebrow as he watched me take the seat across from him. His thoughts were full of snide and cocky remarks. "Whatcha drinking?" I asked him, nodding to his empty glass and ignoring his thoughts. He leaned back in his chair, trying to keep that cool mysterious air about him. "Nothing," he said. I raised an eyebrow and took a sip of my beer. I watched his golden eyes studying me, trying to figure out what I wanted from him and if I was a threat or not. I could also hear his thoughts go from studious to sex in about 5 seconds. Men! I thought exasperatedly to myself, rolling my eyes. What was it about them that caused their minds to be on sex every 5 seconds? Not that mine was much better. This was gonna be too easy.

I smiled as I took another swig of my beer and leaned back in my chair. "It seems I owe you thanks." "Oh yeah?" Jace said finally looking at my face. His eyes looked fierce and yet soft at the same time. "For what?" He continued. "Seems you brought my brother back from the dead," I said casually, crossing my left leg over my right. "Duke's your brother?" He ask in slight surprise. I put on a shocked look on my face, pretending to be hurt. "Yes," I said. "Is that so hard to believe?" Jace looked me over one more time and I could hear him thinking about the conversations he'd had with Duke on the way back to Haven, trying to reasses them now that he had the visual of me. So Duke talked about me. Hm. He really did feel bad about the whole thing. Damn. I have to work on letting my walls down a bit more with him. Finally Jace spoke. "I was just picturing someone more…" he paused looking for the right word. "More girly?" I asked jokingly, taking another swig of beer. "Yeah maybe," He laughed. I put my hand out to shake his. "I'm Mari," I said smiling. "Jace," he said taking my hand, flashing a lopsided smile.

As he took it I felt a shock of electricity go through me. He felt it too and pulled his hand away "What…?" he asked as he looked at his hand. "Welcome to Haven," I said and put my hand in my lap, stretching it slightly. I looked up at him and I could feel the heat between us growing. I leaned over the table allowing him the slightest view down my shirt. "You wanna get outta here?" I asked quietly, looking up through my eyelashes as I had done countless times before. I felt his excitement spike while he looked at me for half a second before smiling slightly and saying, "Sure." I grabbed his hand as I got up from the table and led him out the side door onto the porch. I made my way over to the back of the Gull where I knew we wouldn't be disturbed.

I pulled him against the wall and his hands wrapped around my waist. I wove my arms around his neck and buried my fingers in his hair, pulling his face closer to mine. His lips crashed into mine hungrily and mine answered every move with just as much hunger. He moved his body so that he was pressed up against me and I could feel every part of him. His thoughts made me even more hungry. All he kept thinking about was what he wanted to do to me; how he wanted to touch me and make me scream for him. He moved his mouth down my jaw to my neck, shoving my jacket off my shoulders. I moaned. God it had been so long since I had allowed anyone to touch me like this. I was completely caught up in the moment, willing to let him have his way with me tonight, when I suddenly felt something off.

At first I thought he was just nervous and that maybe it had been a long time for him too, but as he moved his hands up under my shirt, touching my skin, I felt it again. Something more. Something deeper. Something I couldn't explain. But this time I felt it in the pit of my stomach. It scared me. Damn it all to farthest depths of hell! I leaned my head back against the wall catching my breath and untangled my hands from his hair and put them on his chest, gently pushing him back and said, "Wait." He stopped his trail of kisses halfway down my collarbone and looked up at me with confusion in his eyes. I could feel his disappointment. Yeah me too, I thought to myself. I looked at him. "Maybe this was a bad idea tonight. It's been a really crazy day and I should probably get home." I moved my shoulders, putting my jacket back in place and started to walk back to Nathan's house, hoping the cold night air and long walk would clear my head and give me time to think.

As I made my way up the drive to the main road, I pulled my hood up over my head and shoved my hands into my jacket pockets. I was walking so fast I was practically running. What the hell was that? I asked myself.I kept going over the whole scene in my head trying to figure out what happened. I kept coming back to the same thing. But how is that possible? I don't get that feeling! I never get that feeling. Point blank. I've been with hundreds of guys, guys like Jace, before and it's all just been for fun. I find him in a bar or club, we go back to his place, always his, never mine. Once there we get down to business in whatever way feels right and then I leave after he falls asleep. No muss, no fuss. No real connection. Just pure fun. They get what they want and I get what I want: to be "loved" and adored for the night. I was halfway into town at this point, not totally paying attention to where I was going. Being me, having the abilities to read and feel people, wasn't easy. It meant that everyone, and I mean everyone, always ended up letting you down and romance and love weren't an option. Guys loved you at night, but in the light of day they always found something to not like about you. And with me they never had to say anything. All they had to do was think it once. "She's not as pretty as she was last night", or "She's so snarky", or "the way she wrinkles her nose is so annoying! It makes her look like a rabbit." Whether it was about me physically or about my personality, they always found something to complain about. By the time I was 18 I'd realized I'd never be able to really be with a guy.

When I left Bend, I'd promised myself I'd spend the rest of my life alone, only making one night connections when I wanted too, and only when I could completely control the situation. And then I met Ethan. He changed my life in so many ways. We met on a job and decided we'd get a better deal if we worked together. He was the classic bad boy with absolutely nothing safe about him. He did what he wanted when he wanted and only cared about himself, and yet I somehow managed to fall completely in love with him, convincing myself that he'd eventually fall for me and that each time was the last time. And to some extent he did fall for me, but it never stopped.

At that thought I started running, trying to get those images out of my head. I ran all the way to Nathan's house, through the door, and into my room slamming the door behind me. "Mari is that you?" I heard Nathan call out sleepily from his bedroom. "Is everything ok?" I heard a knock on my door. "Yeah! Sorry I woke you up Nathan," I said quickly. He didn't move for a minute and I could hear him thinking about whether or not to come in and actually make sure I was ok. I sent a wave of calm to him, hoping it would make him realize how tired he was and go back to bed. It worked. "Ok. Night," He said and I heard him turn and walk back into his room. I sank onto the bed and put my head in my hands. He doesn't even know me! How could he have that feeling already? How can I? You promised yourself remember? After Ethan, no more! Not again! Never again! I rubbed the tattoos on the insides of my wrists and closed my eyes. "Never again," I said to myself in a whisper. "Never again."

"No!" I screamed as I ran away. I heard his heavy footsteps behind me. I tried to run into the bathroom but he grabbed the back of my shirt. Rrriiippp. "Come here bitch!" he yelled grabbing at my shirt. I moved forward and fell hard, hitting the floor on my hands and knees. I felt the reverberations up my arms. He grabbed my waist and tried to turn me over and take my boxer shorts off in the same motion. "No! Ethan get off me!" I screamed. "No!" I kicked out hard with my legs and connected with his stomach. He lurched backwards and I scrambled to my hands and knees and crawled as fast as I could out into the hallway. Once in the hallway, I pulled myself up using the wall. I heard him behind me and ran back into the living room, trying to get away. I made it to the doorway and felt a hand on the back of my head. Crack! My head hit the doorway. It felt like my head had split open. I was dizzy and confused. I felt a foot hit me square in the back and I went down hard, hitting my head again on the floor. I dragged myself up moaning. "Ethan please! Please don't! Please stop!" He grabbed the front of my shirt and and I could just make out the shape of his face directly in front of mine. His breath stank of alcohol and cigarettes. "You think you can cross me bitch?" he spat at me. "You think you're that good? Well let me tell you a little secret. You're not. You are worthless!" He yelled letting go of my shirt and trying to pull my boxers down again. My head hurt so badly, but something in me told me to keep fighting. I brought my knee up hard and felt my knee make contact. "AH! Stupid fucking bitch!" I heard him say as he fell backwards onto the floor. I rolled over and half dragged myself towards the kitchen. Using the door to support myself, I pulled myself up so that I was standing. I put a hand on my head. The whole world was spinning and all I could see was the blood. I felt my way to the stove just as Ethan came slamming through the door. "Fucking whore!" he screamed. I wiped the blood out of my eyes just in time to see him rushing at me. He thought he'd finally won. I was in a corner with no where to go. "You got no where to go bitch!" he said to me as he moved towards me. I felt around for the butcher knife behind me on the counter, keeping it behind my back. That's it, come closer, keep coming, I thought to myself. When he was finally close enough I cocked an eyebrow, finding my courage. "Well you know what they say about backing animals into corners," I said. In one quick motion I stabbed him in the heart. He halted his movement and looked down at the knife in surprise. "Mari," he spluttered. Then he fell. I stood there shaking for a minute and then grabbed the knife and pulled. I wrapped it in a towel and went upstairs to clean up.

"No!" I shouted as I woke up, sitting straight up in bed. I looked around in confusion for a second before remembering where I was, as Rose appeared suddenly in the doorway. Her face was a mixture of fear and utter terror. I was breathing hard as if I'd just run a marathon. I put my face in my hands trying to clear the images from my head. Just a bad dream. I thought to myself. Just a bad dream. "Sorry," I said to Rose. "I didn't mean to wake you up." I was trying to play it off but she knew better. Rose came and sat down on the bed in front of me and hugged me tightly. I suddenly realized I was shaking. "I had no idea," She said quietly still holding me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her, letting her warmth and calm wash over me. "I'm so sorry!" she said. "No wonder you have a hard time trusting people. I always thought it was because of the telepathy, but this makes much more sense." She let me go but still held my shoulders. "Yeah well, neither probably helped in that area," I replied. We both forced a laugh to try and ease the tension. She wiped my eyes. When did I start crying? "Why don't I make us both some tea." She suggested. "Got anything stronger?" I asked, only half joking. "Tea," she said sternly. I untangled myself from my covers and got up, following her out into the kitchen.

As she poured the hot water into mugs the room suddenly filled with the smell of mint and lavender. I sat on the couch with my legs crossed. "That's a strange combo," I said wrinkling my nose. "It will help you sleep deep enough so that you won't dream and it will clear your mind. Now drink." she said passing me a mug. I took a deep breath allowing the refreshing smell of mint and the comforting smell of lavender fill my nostrils. I felt my muscles start to relax. Well if one deep breath could do that, imagine what actually drinking it could do! I laughed to myself as I took a sip. It actually wasn't that bad, for tea. "You're welcome," Rose said watching me. I looked up apologetically. "Thank you," I said sheepishly. "So is that why you are afraid of Jace?" Rose asked quietly, settling into the couch next to me. "Partly," I sighed. "I promised myself after Ethan that I wouldn't let anyone get that close to me. Any trust I had left was gone after that. And when I heard what he was thinking down at the Gull and felt my stomach start to drop out...I don't know, I guess I freaked and I just ran." I took another sip of tea and felt the warmth spread through my veins. I took another calming breath. "You really think he'd be capable of that?" Rose asked. I looked down at the floor thinking. I finally shook my head. "No, I don't think so, I mean I hope not. I don't know anymore, but I don't want to take that chance. I won't let myself get hurt again," I said with conviction. Rose looked at me with curiosity. "Did you...know?" she asked slowly. "With Ethan I mean? When you got together? There must have been signs...or something." "That's the worst part. The signs showed up a few weeks after we started dating, or whatever it was we were doing. I heard his thoughts and felt how angry he was. How much control he wanted, but I convinced myself that it was nothing. And after every…" I paused, my voice hitching in my throat, remembering all the bruises and broken bones. It's ok, Rose thought putting a hand on my knee. It's over. I swallowed and tried to find my courage again. "After every fight I would tell myself that it was the last time. That he didn't mean it and that he would never do it again. Or that I was just as rough as he was. That it was just how we fought." I felt my throat starting to close up so I took another sip of tea. Rose squeezed my knee and took a deep breath.

"Well I'm not going to try and tell you how to live your life, but I think you should try and let him in. Jace I mean," She said soothingly. "He seems like a good guy. I don't think he would hurt you." "A part of me wants too. I'm just…" I stopped not really sure what I was. "Scared?" Rose offered. "It's ok to be scared you know. It's not like you jump in bed and get married right away. Start slow. Dinner? Lunch?" I sighed, looking at the wall. I took another sip of tea before answering. "Maybe," I finally said. Rose shook her head smiling slightly. "Whatever you choose, I'll support it," she said putting a hand to my face. "So would Duke," She added. "Please don't tell him about this!" I whispered. She looked at me intently, trying to decide what to say. "No," she finally said. "I won't tell him". I could tell it wasn't her first choice, but she did it because she knew it would be worse if I wasn't the one who told him. She sighed and opened her arms and I leaned into her, letting her wrap me up in the blanket from the back of the couch. She ran her hand through my hair. "But he should know...at some point," She said. I closed my eyes. "I know," I managed to mumble before finally letting sleep overtake me.


	7. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

ROSE

The next week was spent splitting my time between Duke, Nathan and Mari and working. With Claire no longer with us I was left to pick up the pieces and move forward with her practice. My most common client was Dwight, as he and I were both still grieving for Claire and our sessions usually lasted through lunch so it wasn't a surprise to me when he walked into my office carrying chinese food and two six packs of Diet Coke. "Hey Dwight," I said happily, putting my glasses on my desk and closing my laptop. "Oh Chinese! My favorite!" He laughed as he set it down. "I know. I figured with everything going on this week you could use some of your favorite foods." I nodded eagerly. "Thank you. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry we had to cancel our session earlier this week, it's just that with Duke back…" Dwight raised a hand. "I get it Rose. If it were…" he took a shaky breath. "If it were Claire I would be the same way." I smiled sadly and reached forward squeezing his hand. "I miss her too, Dwight. So much. But we'll get through this together okay? Hey, why don't you come over for dinner with me, Duke, Mari and Jace tonight?" I suggested as we began to eat our lunch. He thought about it for a minute before nodding. "Okay. Do you want me to bring anything?" I shook my head. "Nope. Oh and can you do me a HUGE personal favor? Make Jordan stop stalking me and mine? Because seriously! This is ridiculous." Dwight laughed a little bit and nodded. "I'll do my best. I don't know what's up with her. She's become obsessed with all of this. I mean I get it. She was or is in love with Nathan and is hurt because he chose Audrey over her. But she's letting it control her life!" We smiled at each other and continued to chat about how he was feeling this week and how things were going with work. When his session ended he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and headed out. I couldn't help but place my hand on my cheek as he walked away. There had been a spark. How is that possible? I thought to myself in a slight panic, knowing I needed to consult my Book of Shadows as soon as possible.

That evening I was setting a table out on the back deck of The Gull when I felt arms wrap around my waist. I smiled and leaned back into the familiar embrace. "Hey baby," I whispered. "Hey," Duke said just as softly, his scruff tickling me as he kissed my shoulder. I shivered slightly at the feeling. I felt him chuckle softly. "Later darling. I promise," he said as he pressed another kiss to the hollow of my neck causing me shiver again with the ideas of what was to come. "So what do you know about this Jace kid?" I asked as I finished setting the table. "I don't know much, honestly. He was in the alleyway where the Barn tossed me out. I was pretty beat up, so he took me to this place he called The Institute. They healed me and then, after much debate, Jace was sent to accompany me back to Haven to ensure I arrived safely," Duke replied as he moved to fold the napkins that I had set on the plates. "Okay," I replied softly, not completely paying attention. My thoughts were still partially on the spark from earlier. I hadn't had a chance to check in with my Book yet and just the mere idea of what it could mean made my antsy.

Duke and I finished setting up everything just as Mari walked in. "Hey Mari," I said softly giving her a hug. She looked better than she had early this morning, but I was still worried about her. She seemed to be slightly less anxious than she had been when she got home last night. Duke came over and gave her a hug and a quick kiss on the forehead before heading back into the kitchen to check on the food. I grabbed one of the bottles of wine we had pulled for tonight and poured both myself and Mari a glass before sitting down.

BOTH

Rose looked at Mari in concern as she took as sip of her wine. "Mo chara, tell me what's on your mind?" she asked softly, hoping that the magick of her native language would help to sooth Mari's nerves. "Tá a fhios agat gur féidir leat a insint dom rud ar bith (you know you can tell me anything)," she whispered, placing a hand on Mari's hand. Mari stiffened slightly at her touch. She had said too much last night. Maybe it was the fact that Duke was back or maybe it was this new kid, but somehow she had let her walls down and all she wanted was to retreat behind their protective barrier. "It's nothing," she said. "I'm just not really in the mood for dinner." Rose sighed in frustration. "Mari, don't do this. Don't shut me out. Not now. At least let me help you strengthen your barriers for the night?" Mari sighed inwardly. "Yeah, sure," she said. Rose gently placed her hands on Mari's temples, focusing her magick on the mental barriers that were steadily growing with each practice session when she felt Mari stiffen. What's wrong? she asked mentally. "Audrey?" Mari asked out loud. Rose froze at the name. "Tell me what you're seeing or hearing Mari? I can't sense it," she said out loud as well, concentrating on keeping the magick steady and flowing. Mari sat up straight, squinting her already closed eyes, trying to hear something in the distance. "I'm not sure," she said cocking her head from side to side. "But I think I just heard Audrey's voice. But there's so much other noise, God! I thought the Gull didn't open for another hour?" she said. Rose glanced around them carefully. "There's no one else here Mari. Duke's in the kitchen and Lana's at the bar. That's it!" she whispered urgently. "What do you mean you heard Audrey's voice?! What did she say?" "I don't know, something about 'Lexie DeWitt'? It's hard to hear, there's a lot of background noise!" Mari said frustrated. "Okay take a deep breath and concentrate really hard for me just once more and see if you hear anything else?" Rose said softly as she added just a little bit more magick to the spell she was weaving, hoping to amplify Mari's connection. Mari took an exasperated breath, knowing she was overdoing it. She tried to concentrate on what she hearing, focusing on Audrey's voice. She shook her head. "There's too much noise!" she said petulently. Rose frowned, but nodded and slowly withdrew the spell and her hands. "Then you must have been tapped in to wherever Audrey was, which means one of two things…" She rubbed her temples not sure if she liked either possibility. "She's either still in the Barn, or she's been spit out already with a whole new personality and is now this Lexie DeWitt character. And if that's the case then we have a major problem given Nathan's whole 'have Audrey kill me to stop the troubles' plan…" Mari looked at Rose concerned. "But the Barn imploded. It's gone. Right?" she asked."We...we can't know that for certain," Rose replied. "Duke said he was only in there for thirty seconds, a minute tops, and when he got out it was six months later…" Rose sighed. "The Barn, because of it's strange time frame, could be continuously imploding…"

"Looks like you started without me", came a voice from behind them, causing both women to jump. "Sorry," Jace said as he walked to the table. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked seeing the look of confusion and distress on both of their faces. Rose shook her head, smiling. "No it's fine Jace. We were just having a discussion. Please have a seat. Duke is finishing up with the food in the kitchen. Would you like some wine?" she asked, gesturing to the bottle. "Don't mind if I do," Jace said as he took the seat next to Mari. Mari stiffened and moved over slightly as he sat down. Jace gave her a look that Rose could see was a mixture of hurt and cynicism. "So Jace," Rose began as she poured him a glass. "How are you enjoying Haven?" "Well it's no New York," he began, shifting his gaze away from Mari to look at Rose. "But I think I'm settling in nicely. Most of the welcoming committee has been very welcoming." He took a sip of wine and his eyes shifted ever so slightly to Mari. Mari saw the previous night play back in his mind. She got up quickly. "I'm gonna go see if Duke needs any help in the kitchen," she said. I can't do this! she thought. She moved into the Gull. Lana looked up from setting up glasses for the evening. "How's it going out there?" she asked Mari. Mari ignored her and marched into the kitchen. "I can't do this," she said as she entered the kitchen. "I'm going home." Duke looked up from the grill. "What?" he asked in confusion. "Why?" Mari shook her head. Because Jace is being an ass and I can't let myself fall for him! Because everything is wrong. Because...because it's too hard. "I just can't. It's too much," she said perching on the counter. Calma síos Mari, ach anáil. Éist le mo ghlór agus anáil (Calm down Mari, just breathe. Listen to my voice and breathe…) Rose whispered softly into her head while holding a conversation with Jace on the deck. "Grr!" Mari exclaimed throwing up her hands. "Would you please tell your girlfriend to get the hell out of my head?!" she yelled at Duke. Duke looked up with concern. Mari could feel his concern and it only made her more annoyed. Why does he have to care so much? He put down the tongs he was holding and walked over to Mari, placing both hands on her shoulders. Mari looked down. "Mari look at me," Duke said. She continued to down. "Mari," he said with a slight warning tone in his voice. He put a gentle hand under her chin and guided her face so that she was looking at him as he said, "Look at me. What's really going on?" he asked trying to get her to open up the way she had the previous night. "Nothing. I just don't want to be around people right now," Mari said coldly. Duke looked at her warmly. "I know it's hard to be around so many people after living a life pretty much on your own. And I know you're not much of a 'people' person," he added smiling. Mari put her face in her hands, trying to hide her smile, but not quite managing it. "See? That wasn't so hard," Duke said pulling her into a tight hug. "This won't be bad. I promise," he said and kissed her on the top of her head. "GAH!" Mari said into his shirt. When she pulled away she was pouting slightly. Duke laughed. "Just go out there and have fun!" he said ruffling her hair. "Hey!" she said pushing his hand away laughing. She jumped down from the counter and walked towards the door. "Thanks," she said quietly, turning to look at her big brother. "You're welcome," he said.

Rose looked up as Mari joined them again, followed by Duke and Dwight, who had just arrived. She quickly got up to give Dwight a hug and once again noticed the spark. She shook it off, not wanting to think about it for the night and offered him a glass of wine as they all sat down. Once everyone had food and was seated Rose asked the inevitable question "So Jace, tell us a little bit about yourself." Jace looked up and smirked. "Gladly. Now where to begin... " He started off explaining that he was what's known as a Nephilim, or Shadowhunter and all that comes with that title. Then he told us a bit about his family, the Lightwoods. There was Isabelle and Alec and Maryse and Robert. They used to have a little brother named Max, but he was killed a few years ago. He then went on the explain how Alec was dating a warlock named Magnus Bane. That was when Rose began to tense up. "Actually when he found out I was coming he asked me to pass a message along to someone named D'ardaigh." Rose froze at the mention of her Wiccan name. Mari frowned at her, picking up on the recognition of the name. "What was the message?" Rose asked, trying to keep her heart from beating out of her chest and her voice even. Jace looked at her curiously, "They know. She is coming. That was all he said." Rose's pulse picked up dramatically and she lost all the color that was left in her face. Duke and Dwight immediately moved to kneel beside her on either side and Mari was gently wrapping her in a hug in her mind. "What's wrong?" Duke asked softly taking one of her hands and placing it on his cheek. Rose was silent and still for a long moment. Mari, however, knew that she was reliving something. She probed deeper into her mind and found it.

"Seanmhathair, ta ma se bhaile! (Grandmother I'm home!)" Rose called out as she entered the small cottage. She could smell candles burning and smiled. The coven must be here! she thought excitedly, knowing that Morgan and Hunter would be there with their daughter, Moira. She quickly shed her long cloak and made her way towards the Ritual Room at the back of the house. As she stepped through the doorway she nearly gagged as another smell hit her. The tangy smell of blood. Then she screamed. All around her were members of her Coven. Morgan and Hunter both reaching out towards Moira who was nearby with her boyfriend, Ian. Skye was nearby trying to shield her girlfriend, Alisa, from whatever had happened here and there in the center was her grandmother. They were all dead! Blood was seeping from their wounds, still fresh. There was a laugh from behind her and Rose spun around, ready to protect herself. "Well I'm glad this was worth something. I thought I had just eliminated another clan of Woodbayne's for no reason," a woman said, stepping out of the shadows. She was tall and blonde with some laugh lines along her eyes and mouth, but her eyes were cold and dark. "Lilith," Rose hissed. "Yes my little full blood. You recognize me of course," she said. "So did Morgan and Hunter and my traitor of a son Ian, right before they died!" she shouted, throwing a spell at Rose with deadly accuracy. Rose blocked it and threw up a quick shield spell. "Why?! Why would you do this?!" Rose asked, trying to keep her emotions and magick in check. Lilith laughed again. "Why my dear, because I need you. Your power will be a great asset to my coven. So join me, or join your precious family," she said with a smirk, thinking she had caught me. "You're right, I am a full blooded witch. And I think you've underestimated me." I used the power I had stored up and threw out a quick teleportation spell, using the last of my energy I moved myself to the outskirts of Dublin. The last thing I heard was Lilith shrieking in rage before everything went dark. When I came to again I quickly got up and moved towards a main road as I pulled out my cell phone and dialed a number I knew by heart, but had hoped never to have to use. It rang twice before it was answered. "Magnus, it's Rose. I need your help…" I managed to whisper as the guilt and hurt consumed me. My entire coven was dead and it was my fault.

Mari flinched as the barriers in Rose's mind came up with a snap. There was no emotions or thoughts being sent out by her and her face was stone cold. She turned to look at Jace, her face unreadable and her eyes cold. "Thank you for passing along the message, Jace. I must go prepare then," and with that she stood up, ignoring everyone else in the room, and headed for her car. Jace looked after her in absolute shock. "THAT'S D'ardaigh?" he whispered. "Who is this D'ardaigh?" Dwight asked in annoyance as Duke just stared after Rose. Mari was trying to connect to her mind, but the barriers were too strong She was being locked out. "D'ardaigh is a witch that Magnus talks about all the time as an inspiration and a hero. She is one of the last pure full blooded witches in the world and to top it all off, she's a Woodbayne who practices Light Magick instead of Dark Magick. She has defeated the two most recent Dark Waves nearly single handedly and protected millions. She's a damn legend in our world. But almost a year ago she disappeared. Her entire Coven was murdered by a Dark Witch and she just disappeared. She was thought to be dead or on the run but no one has heard from her…" he trailed off as he watched both Duke and Dwight take off after Rose. Mari stayed where she was, knowing that they would need some privacy.

ROSE

My mind was numb as I made my way to my car. I knew I needed to pack up and get as far away from here as possible. If Lilith and Eaulltin knew where I was then this whole town was in danger. I had gotten complacent here with Duke and Mari and...Dwight. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't catch the sounds of two people following me until I was grabbed and spun around by Duke and was forced to face both him and Dwight. "What the hell is going on?" Duke asked softly. His eyes searched mine as I stared back at him and then I looked to Dwight. Our eyes locked for a long moment. "This has to do with what happened at the Barn doesn't it…" Dwight said finally, referring to the instance where I threw "Claire" against the side of the Barn without actually touching her. I nodded slowly and realization slowly began to dawn on Duke. "You're troubled?" he asked softly and I shook my head. "No I'm not troubled. I'm a witch. A full-blooded witch," I replied before taking a step back. "And I need to leave before they find me and kill all of you…" I said firmly as I turned to leave again, but this time Dwight caught my hand, sending sparks flying through my hands and body. "No wait," he said softly. "Talk to us. Tell us what's going on." I shook my head, my hair flying every which way. "No. Telling you would put you in even more danger. I need to leave. I need to move to another town, I need to remove any trace of me ever having been here…" I felt the panic begin to set in and I started shaking. Dwight pulled me into a hug and Duke came to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist from the back. "We're here for you sweetheart. We've got you. Just tell us what's going on," he whispered softly. So I did. I explained the whole story to them. Every detail about my Coven and Lilith and how I knew Magnus. "If Magnus sent that message with Jace, it means that Lilith knows where I am and she will stop at nothing to hurt me." I felt the tears flowing down my face at the thought of her hurting either of these two men. Or Mari. Or Nathan. Or anyone in this town. "I have to go. I have to leave Haven," I said, even though it was the exact opposite of what I truly wanted to do. "No!" both men yelled in unison and I couldn't help but giggle at their vehemence. "You'll stay here…" Duke began. "And we'll face this like everything else," Dwight continued meeting first my eyes and then Duke's. "Together."

We stayed that way, entangled in each others arms, for another few minutes before I realized that we had left Mari and Jace in the same vicinity for longer than a few minutes and one of them might be dead. "We should probably get back before Mari kills Jace," I said softly. The men on either side of me laughed softly and agreed and together we headed back towards The Gull.

MARI

I looked on as Duke and Dwight ran after Rose. I couldn't think of anything to say or do. I thought my past was bad, but at least I was the one making the choices. I had no one to blame but myself. And at least I didn't lose everyone I loved in one go. I had some time in between. And I chose to cut ties with everyone in my past. It was my decision. But Rose...I couldn't begin to process that pain. The sound of glass on wood brought me back from my thoughts. "So...are all meals this lively here? Or is it just me?" Jace asked smugly. I rolled my eyes and groaned. Shit! In the insanity of the moment I had completely forgotten Jace was even there. I turned on him. "Are you always this rude?" I asked him. "Rude?" he said feigning shock. "I don't know what you're talking about," he continued, cocking a crooked smile. That's it! I slammed my hands on the table and stood up, almost knocking the table over in my anger. "Can't you see that you hurt my friend? She's trying to leave because of you and if she goes, my brother goes with her and I lose everything I've been trying to build up since I got here! It's all your fault and all you can do is sit here and act like you're 'God's gift to humankind!'" I spat at him, leering over him. He looked completely taken aback and I could feel his shock. His eyebrows shot up into his hairline and he threw his hands up saying, "I'm sorry! I didn't know what the message meant or that it was for your friend! I was just the messenger!" I felt rather than heard his apology, but I was still pissed off! What gives this guy the right to think he's better than everyone else? I could feel that things had calmed down in the parking lot. I threw my hands up in exasperation and sat down hard in my chair, pulling it back to the table. "Everything ok here?" Duke asked. His mind was a mixture of worry for Rose and funny scenarios of me killing Jace in various ways. Jace was still looking at me the way a child would look at a statue, just to make sure it wasn't about to move. I sighed. "Yeah," I said not looking at anyone in particular. "Everything's fine." As Duke, Dwight, and Rose sat down, we all shifted out of the previous sense of anxiety and into one of general calm, finishing dinner in a very civil manner.

"I'll get the dishes," I said, picking up everyone's empty plates and making my way into the kitchen. No one protested, but I wasn't expecting them too. Between the shocking message Jace had delivered and the amount of food that was eaten, everyone seemed perfectly fine to just sit. I, however, as feeling like I needed to be alone. I piled all the silverware onto the plates and made my way through the back door into the kitchen. As I was filling the sink with hot water I heard someone clear their throat behind me. Oh great. You've got to be kidding me! Haven't I been through enough tonight? I didn't need to turn to know Jace was behind me. "What?" I asked bluntly. "I just wanted to offer my assistance with the dishes," he said, standing in the doorway. The noise from the people in the main room was pouring through. "I don't need your help," I said continuing to focus on the pot I was scrubbing. "At least let me dry," he said smiling and coming to my right side to dry the plate I'd washed. I sighed. "Fine. But be careful," I said with a warning in my tone. "I am always careful," he said. I scoffed but said nothing.

We stood there in silence, me washing and him drying. I couldn't believe I was stuck with him. Again! I should have kept my hands to myself last night! I thought as I scrubbed left-over food off of a plate. "I get the feeling that you don't like me," Jace said slowly. I laughed. "Oh really?" I said sarcastically. "And what on earth gave you that idea?" "Your tone, for one," he said. "And the fact that everytime you look at me, I get the feeling you want to strangle me." Well he isn't wrong. "Do you hear yourself when you speak?" I asked turning to look at him while I handed him the plate. "Yes," he said simply. "Why? Do you think I speak funny?" "No, you're just such a jerk! Everything you say is rude and conceited! All you care about is you!" I practically shouted at him. I plunged my hand into the warm water. "Ow! Mother-" I exclaimed as I drew my hand out to find the tip of my finger bleeding slightly. "Did you cut yourself on a knife?" Jace asked hurriedly. "No, a fork I think," I said, sucking on my finger. "Here," Jace said with kindness in his voice. He took my hand gently in his and looked at my finger. The blood had stopped but it still stung a bit. "Doesn't look to bad," he said quietly. I could see my face in his mind and realized he was looking at me. I looked up and was stunned by the vision in front of me. It was like I was seeing him for the first time. I realized just how beautiful he was, the planes of his face, the color of his eyes; molten gold, surrounded by dark eyelashes. In those eyes all the arrogance from before was gone. All that was left was a kind of sadness. A sadness I recognized. My breath caught in my throat and my mind went blank. "Uh…" I stuttered.

"Hey Mari, are there any clean glasses back the-" came a voice from the door. "Oh sorry!" Lana said as she saw me and Jace standing at the sink, my hand still in his. Jace reacted quickly grabbing a stack of glasses without letting go of my hand and handed them to Lana without saying a word. "Thanks," she said warily. She turned and walked back out into the bar. He let go of my hand and went back to drying the rest of the dishes. I stood there for another minute trying to figure out what just happened. "Are you done with that?" Jace asked softly. "Huh? Oh, yeah," I said looking down at a plate in the sink and handing it to him. Everything ok in there? Rose asked me. I just felt a strange shift in energies. To be honest I wasn't sure, but I sent back, Yeah, I think so. Jace and I finished up the dishes quietly and made our way back outside to the table. Dwight was in the middle of a clean-up story and Duke and Rose were listening animatedly. I sat down and tried to listen, but my mind was back in the kitchen.

"Anyone home?" Duke asked suddenly, looking at me with concern on his face. I must have zoned out. Dwight was helping Rose with her jacket. "Yeah!" I said distractedly. "Sorry I was thinking about something and must have just lost track of time." "I'll say," Duke said looking a little relieved. Rose came over and I stood up, hugging her and saying good night. Duke put his hand around her waist and started walking with her to his car. I suddenly realized how tired I was. I yawned and stretched. "Hey Duke," I called after him. "Yeah?" He said turning. "Mind giving me a ride home on your way to the docks? I was gonna walk but I'm wiped!" He reached in his pocket and threw something silver and small to me. I caught it. It was a set of keys. The keys to the apartment upstairs. "I'll have Nathan bring your stuff by tomorrow," Duke said with a smile. Yes! My own bed! I turned to say goodnight to Jace and found him standing behind me. He was looking at the ground. I rolled my eyes. Great. Now I'm going to have to apologize. I hate apologizing! "Jace-" I started to say. He took my hand in his, running his rough fingers over my knuckles. "Just give me a chance. Please?" He asked looking up at me through his eyelashes. Oh man! I was going to regret this! I thought and inspite of myself I said, "Ok." Without thinking I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before going upstairs to my apartment. As I climbed the stairs I felt a wave of contentment and excitement wash over me and I wasn't sure if it came from Jace or me.


	8. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

BOTH

"I hear nothing!" Mari said exasperatedly as she sat on the roof of the Rouge. It had been two days since their chaotic dinner and Mari had heard not so much as a whisper of Audrey. Rose sighed and relaxed her magick. "Okay. Um...maybe Duke has some ideas on how to relax your brain?" She suggested softly, confused as to why it wasn't working. She knocked on the roof of the cabin. Duke came out after a moment. "You called?" he said cheekily and Rose smiled down at him. Mari rolled her eyes. "Any luck?" he asked and they both shook their heads. "Do you have any good ideas for relaxing the mind?" she asked and she could almost feel the excitement rolling off of Duke. "Yeah, I've got some great ideas!" he said happily. Rose turned to Mari. "Go ahead. He might have better ideas. I'm going to try scrying for her," she explained.

Mari jumped down off the roof and made her way down to where Duke was sitting on the deck. "Let's start with some yoga," he said as she came over. She stopped short. "Are you serious?" She asked, raising an eyebrow not sure if he was joking. "Very," Duke replied. He led her through several yoga poses, each more complex than the next. "Ok," Mari said while standing in the "tree" pose. "I feel ridiculous! And this isn't helping." Duke let out a large breath and looked at her. "Ok," he said. "We will try something different." He motioned for her to sit down on the deck. "Cross your legs," he said closing his eyes. He took a deep breath in and then slowly let it out. Mari took a similar deep breath and slightly overexaggerated letting it out. Duke opened his eyes, but ignored her. He handed her a bowl. "Imagine your mind is as empty as this bowl," he said closing his eyes again. Mari took the bowl and looked at it quizzically. Really? she thought. She rolled her eyes. Well here goes nothing. She closed her eyes and reached out for the bowl trying to imagine her mind empty. As she grabbed for the bowl, she missed and sent it flying across the deck, clattering loudly. She and Duke both flinched simletaneously. "Sorry," Mari said. "No, it's ok," Duke said trying to contain his frustration. He stood up, offering her his hand. She took it and pulled herself up. "So what now?" She asked. "Now we try flushing your brain with blood," he said and pointed to the railing in front of the helm. Mari saw what he had in mind. "Oh you've got to be joking," she groaned. "Nope!" Duke said and he helped her up to the railing. She put her legs through and leaned backwards so that she was hanging upside down. 20 minutes later she was still hanging there and getting a massive headache, but was still hearing nothing. "Duke, can I please come down now? I think my sinus' are exploding!" Duke rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Yeah sure," he said. Mari lept down lightly.

"You know," she said, looking at Duke, " If the goal is to make me relax, having you and Rose freaking out every second isn't helping." Mari moved to the railing and leaned against it casually. Duke groaned and sat down on the bench. Then his head suddenly snapped up. "You're right!" he said excitedly. "We all just need to relax! I'll be right back." He headed into the stateroom and Mari watched a little confused. Suddenly she saw in Duke's mind what he was looking for. "Now this I can do!" she said and moved to grab the table that was on the deck. Duke came back out with a six pack and two beer steins. He also had a roll of quarters in his pocket. He set the glasses up on opposite ends of the table, separated the quarters out and sat down, motioning for Mari to sit down opposite him. Mari sat down, glad that her brother had thought of this as an appropriate distraction. She grabbed a quarter and bounced it. DING. Into the glass opposite her it went. "Nice one!" Duke said and he took a sip of beer. Now it was Duke's turn. He bounced the quarter off the table but missed Mari's glass by inches. "Ha!" Mari said. The two of them continued to play beer-pong for about 20 minutes, Mari winning, when suddenly she heard it. She moved her head to the left, trying to focus on the sound.

"Duke!" she said, "I can hear!" Duke dropped the quarter he was holding and went over to her, kneeling down so that he was on her level. "What do you hear?" he asked excitedly. Rose quickly moved towards them, extending her magick to amplify what Mari was hearing. "Can you hold this connection Mari?" she asked softly as she grabbed a candle from her bag and set it down in front of her. "Um...I'm not sure. I think so. Maybe," Mari said closing her eyes, trying to concentrate. Rose quickly lit the candle and closed her eyes. Duke watched her intently as she began to whisper a small spell, waving her hand over the flame as it grew to the size of a small plate. Audrey's face began to form and we were able to hear and see what was going on through Mari's connection. "What do you mean? How do I go back? This is who I am!" Audrey was insisting to someone we couldn't see. A mans voice replies. "But you are so much more. There is a door somewhere here that only you can find." Rose shook her head and tried to concentrate. There was a loud foghorn sounding nearby. "Damn foghorn!" Mari said shaking her head. Rose shook her head again. "That's not coming from around us…" she murmured. She slowly expanded the scrying spell as they continued to talk about the door and how there was a door nearby and a door with Audrey in the Barn and they had to be opened at the same time.

The connection began to waver as Mari began to lose concentration and Rose cursed. "Just hold on a bit longer Mari! I've almost got a location…" she murmured. An image of a green hill near the coast line began to form and Duke's eyes grew wide. "I know that place!" he whispered just as the image faded. Mari and Rose both collapsed in exhaustion and, after checking on them, Duke went to quickly call Nathan and Dwight letting them know what had happened and where they should meet up.

10 minutes later they careened through town in Duke's jeep, both Mari and Rose sitting the back seat. "Ok so what do we have to do?" Mari asked yet again for clarification. Rose tried to remember the exact words that were said, "There will be a door somewhere nearby. We have to open it at the same time as they do so that Audrey can step through it and return home." Mari nodded and leaned her head against Rose's shoulder. As they pulled up to the trail Dwight, Nathan and Jace were waiting for them. Duke parked and helped Mari out of the car and Jace came over, putting his arm around her waist, while Dwight helped Rose. They both leaned heavily on their supports as they moved quickly up the path towards the hilltop. Once they reached it Rose slowly stepped forward, reaching her hand out for Mari's hand. Together they stepped forward and felt for the door. Rose sent out her magick and followed it to a center point in the field. "It's here Mari," she said softly, bringing Mari's hand to the door. "We found it…" Mari breathed a sigh, but whether it was sigh of relief or anticipation over what was about to happen she wasn't sure. Rose, using her hand to hand connection with Mari, amplified her hearing. "Do you hear anything Mari?" Mari squinted her eyes shut trying to hear. "No...wait yes!" she said. "I heard a door!" Rose blinked. "Then it's time...open the door Mari," she said softly. Mari reached for the door-"NO wait!" Dave said as he ran into the circle of Guard Members. "If you open that door, you will unleash a horrible power that we know nothing about!" he tried to explain, but Jordan cut him off by zapping him. "Jordan!" Rose and Dwight both screamed in horror but she just glared. "Open the door!" she ordered Mari. Mari glared at her for a long moment. "Put your gloves back on!" she hissed. "And I will." Jordan glared at her and then turned to point her shot gun at Jace. "Open the door or I shoot your-" she never even finished the sentence before Jace disarmed her and had her on the ground. "Next time, make sure you don't take your eyes off of your target," he said cockily. He turned to look at Mari and nodded. His eyes showed clear admiration and adoration and it scared her, but she couldn't think about that right now. She slowly turned towards the door and placed her hand on the knob, pulling gently and swinging the door open. There was an explosion of power and everyone was thrown backwards and knocked unconscious.

When Rose finally began to come to she could hear shouting going on around her. Her eyesight was a little hazy, but she could tell that there was someone kneeling over her, protectively, and that something had gone wrong. Her ears were ringing, which was causing all the words people were speaking to sound like they were underwater and she was definitely dizzy. As her vision cleared she was able to make out that Dwight was standing above her with his bullet proof vest hanging in his hand and Duke was standing in front of what appeared to be Nathan and somebody else as they were kneeling in the grass. I glanced to my right as saw that Jace was kneeling in the grass, one hand on the handle of his knife and the other resting against Mari's cheek. Obviously something had happened after they had been knocked out, but Rose had no idea what was going on. In no more than an instant everything was a flurry of motion.

Duke was blocking the Guard from following Nathan as he ran towards the edge of the brambles and Dwight and Jace were doing their best to keep the remaining Guard members away from Rose and Mari's still prone forms. Audrey was kneeling on the ground watching in complete confusion. "Audrey?" Rose managed to whisper as she slowly sat up, using Dwight's leg as an anchor to lean against. "Like I told these other people, my name is Lexie DeWitt!" she said to Rose. Rose looked at her in a confused manner as she reached out with her magick. She felt like Audrey, sounded like Audrey-then she winked at Rose and the realization struck her. The Barn had given her a new identity, but she was still Audrey and she was going to use that identity to keep from killing Nathan.

Mari looked up, blinking her eyes in the sunlight. She could feel Jace's nervous energy all around her. It was making her panicky so she sent calm waves to him. Slowly he relaxed and Mari was able to focus. She could feel Jace's hand on her face. She tried to sit up. "Slowly," Jace said quietly. "You hit your head pretty hard, you're going to be dizzy." As she reached a sitting position her head swam. "Ow. Damn it! What happened?" she asked Jace. She put her head in her hands and he rubbed her back soothingly. She realized he was doing it as much for her benefit as he was for his. "You opened the door and Audrey came through, except she's not Audrey." My head snapped up. "What?" I asked, suddenly keenly aware of everything that was going on around me. I could feel everyone. Rose was to my left with Dwight. She was a little worse for wear, but otherwise she seemed to be ok. Duke was trying to stop the Guard and so far had convinced them that all they needed to do was make someone named Lexie fall in love with Nathan again. Mari followed Duke's thoughts of Lexie and found a woman in long brown hair streaked through with blond sitting by Rose. When she focused in on her thoughts one thing became clear. Whoever she said she was, this was most definitely Audrey. Mari squinted in the sunlight, trying to see Audrey more clearly. She put a bracing hand on Jace's shoulder and tried to stand. "Woah!" Jace said as she fell down, barely managing to stand. "I told you you'd be out of it," Jace said reproachfully. Mari groaned, annoyed that he'd been right. "Here," he said offering her a hand. She took it and he helped her stand slowly. "Now, put your weight on me," he instructed her in a manor that told her he'd done this before, many times. He put one arm around her waist and held the hand that was around his shoulder with the other. When he touched her Mari felt a spark fly though her. "Take me over to Rose" she told Jace. "I have to ask Lexie a few things." With that, Jace half walked with her half carried her over to where Rose and Lexie sat in the grass.


	9. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

ROSE

I watched as Mari, with the help of Jace, made her way over to where I was leaning against one of Dwight's legs. Audrey/Lexie was kneeling next to me with a look of confusion, but I could read it plainly in her head that she was just putting up a front for Dwight and Duke and the Guard. I would get her alone once this was over. I met Mari's eyes and we were both on the same page. As Duke took off running after Jordan, who had managed to slip away and follow Nathan, Dwight helped me to slowly stand up and. When it became apparent that my legs weren't going to hold me, he gently picked me up in his arms and carried me back down to the cars. Audrey followed us and Jace took up the rear as he helped Mari slowly walk down the steep path. "What happened?" I asked Dwight softly. "When you opened the door something knocked us all off our feet and suddenly Audrey...or Lexie or whatever her name is, was there. Nathan took the gun from Jordan and placed it in her hand, asking her to kill him, but she refused and then explained that she was Lexie DeWitt and she had no intention of killing someone she didn't know. It was chaos after that. Jordan wanted to kill Nathan on the spot, but Duke stood between them, but knowing Jordan, that wouldn't have stopped her. So I took off my vest and that got her to stop and gave Nathan enough time to run…" he trailed off slowly as we came into sight of the cars. Duke, Nathan and the rest of the Guard were all following, looking unhappy and severely disgruntled. "Your plan better work, Duke," Vince said seriously before he got into his car with Dave and drove away.

Once the Guard left Dwight gently set me down on my feet and Duke came over towards me, wrapping his arms around me. "Are you okay?" he asked softly and I nodded giving him a small kiss. "I'm just exhausted. We both are," I said, nodding towards Mari, who was only half-conscious against Jace. "How about we all reconvene at the Rouge?" Dwight asked softly, looking at everyone. When everyone nodded in response he quickly helped me back into Duke's jeep with Duke, Mari, Jace and Lexie getting in after me. Nathan and Dwight got back into bronco and followed us. I leaned my head against the cold window and slowly built a bridge between myself, Mari and Lexie. Audrey, I know you can hear me, yes this is Rose. Mari is connected as well. Do not react just think your responses. What's going on? I asked, hoping she would follow my instructions. She froze for a millisecond, but then relaxed. I don't know yet. I just know that I can not and will not kill Nathan. I love him, she whispered. Okay, then we need to figure out how to stop the troubles. Because that's the only thing that's going to solve this whole mess now. Jordan's gone crazy with anger and grief and heartbreak. She blames you and Nathan for everything that's happened in the past 6 months. I sent her images of everything that had happened, I felt exhaustion begin to weigh on me. I need to close the bridge for now. It's taking too much out of me. If Mari were more concious it would help, but she overdid it today. We will talk later… I managed to send before I felt the world around me fade to black.

When I came to I was in bed on the Rouge and it was dark outside. I could feel two people nearby and they were talking quietly. I searched for Mari or Audrey's presence, but they were no where to be found and even that small amount of magick drained me. I felt the presences that were near me and recognized both Duke and Dwight. They seemed to be discussing something important, but I couldn't fully concentrate on it so I let the slow tendrils of sleep take me.

"Tell me another story grandmother!" I said happily as she rocked me next to the fire. It was late and I was supposed to be going to bed. "One more, my love and then you must go to bed," she said softly and I nodded. "I will tell you the story of one of the luckiest women in our world. Her name was Catarina Stormcrow and she was a Rowanswand. She was a fortunate woman. She was beautiful and humble and powerful all at the same time and she was also blessed. She noticed that every time she was around two specific men there were sparks so both emotionally and literally. She told her mother and it was then that she learned that she was blessed by the Goddess with not one but two muirn beartha dans. One man who was her soul mate mentally and another who was her soulmate emotionally. Together they formed a beautiful and powerful triad. They were respected and beloved in their village. Unfortunately tragedy struck, as it always does in these situations, and Catarina was taken before her time, leaving the men on their own. The rest of the village fully expected them to go their separate ways, thinking that the only thing kept them together was Catarina. They were astounded however, to find that the men stayed together, living in the house that they had all created. What the village didn't realize was that it wasn't just Catarina that had the two muirn beartha dans. It was all three of them. They were all soulmates and it wasn't just her that held them together. When, many years later, both men passed away they were laid to rest on either side of Catarina. A large tombstone was placed above their graves and on it was written the words, 'Love is a many splendored thing and to share it with more than one person is the greatest blessing of all'

I woke with a start and immediately sat up, looking around the darkened stateroom. I needed to look at my Book. I could hear movement on deck and knew that Duke and Dwight were up there, thankfully the box that held my Book was just down the hall. I quickly moved and grabbed it, searching for the passage that retold that story and I couldn't help but smile as it confirmed what I had been feeling and noticing. I quietly put on a heavier jacket and made my way up to the deck. Using a small amount of magick, I located Duke and Dwight standing at the bow of the ship and I slowly made my way towards them, careful to stay quiet. "Duke look...I…" Dwight was saying softly as he leaned his forearms on the railing and looking down at the water. "Dwight you don't have to explain...I understand…" Duke responded softly, placing a hand on the other mans' arm. I smiled as I saw Dwight unconsciously lean into the warmth of Duke's hand. "Do you?" Dwight asked softly, looking over at him. "Because I sure as hell don't understand this. I know that it's there, but I certainly don't understand where it came from…" He pushed himself off the railing and turned away from Duke. "I don't understand how I went from being in love with Claire to this…" he whispered finally and Duke sighed. "I don't necessarily understand it either, but if there's one thing I DO know, it's that I try not to question what my heart tells me. I did for so many years and it almost cost me the opportunity with Rose. After Evi…" Duke paused and I felt my heart squeeze painfully. I knew that he still felt so guilty for her death. "I thought I was a danger to everyone around me. Then Rose shows up and there's this instant attraction and...I was so scared that if I let myself love her, she would get killed too. But then Audrey found out and she basically yelled at me for a good hour about how refusing what could be my true love would not only potentially ruin my life, but it would also ruin hers. So I took the chance. And it was the best decision I have ever made."

They stared at each other for a long moment and I decided that it was time for me to step in. I "accidentally" tripped over one of the boxes laying on the deck and fell to the ground. "Ow," I whined jokingly as both men jumped and came running towards me. "Are you okay?" they both asked urgently as they helped me up. I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, just still a little bit out of it. What happened?" I asked as I settled into one of the chairs. Duke moved back downstairs to get me a cup of tea, while Dwight stayed up on deck with me to try and explained that both Mari and I had passed out in the car and it was decided that Jace, Lexie and Mari would stay at Mari's apartment above the Gull while Dwight and Duke took me back to the Rouge to get some rest. When Duke returned with the tea we all sat and looked at each other. "So what were you doing before I woke up?" I asked, already having a good idea, but wanting to hear from both of them. They both shifted nervously and refused to meet my eyes for a moment and I sighed in frustration. "Does it have anything to do with this?" I asked as I reached my hands forward towards both of theirs. In the darkness it was easy to see the sparks between our skin. They both stared in amazement and then looked to me. I shook my head. "No that's not my magick. My magick is blue," I explained as I pulled my hands back and, with a flick of my wrist, produce a small ball of blue fire in my palm. "That was something much more powerful," I tried to explain. They both stared at me in complete confusion and I sighed again.

"In the Wiccan culture we have what are called muirn beartha dan, or soulmates. One person who fits you perfectly in every aspect. That's not to say that the relationships are perfect. There are always fights, but in the end you know it's going to work out. I had always believed that I wasn't worthy of having a soulmate, especially after my Coven was killed. And then I came to Haven and I met you, Duke, and it was like a taser shock when you first kissed me that night in my apartment. I knew then that you were mine." I saw Dwight's face drop and I quickly turned to him and placed a hand on his cheek. "I'm not done," I whispered. "Then, after the Barn, I was devastated and in so much pain. You were, for all intents and purposes, dead and I was stuck here. Dwight and I shared in our grief over Claire, and for some inexplicable reason on his part, over you, Duke. He couldn't explain it and, at the time, niether could I. He was grieving for you as much as I was. And then I felt that spark one day, when Dwight took my hand and I felt hope that maybe I had been given a second chance. But it's more than that…" I trailed off, standing. I wasn't sure if I could face them while saying this last part. "I have been blessed by the Goddess with two muirn beartha dans. Two men who are not only MY match in every way, but also each others match in every way…"

MARI

I woke up slowly, feeling every part of my body ache. As I made a mental note of each of my muscles, I realized there was somebody lying next to me. I focused and "heard" Audrey, dreaming about her time in the Barn. I saw the face of the man I must have heard with her. She must have come back here with us. But why? I thought to myself. And for that matter, how did I get back here? The last thing I remembered was Jace helping me into Duke's car. After that my mind went blank. Maybe Duke asked Audrey to come back here to make sure I was ok? Well next time I'd have to insist she take the couch. I wasn't one for sharing beds. As I thought about the couch I suddenly "heard" another train of thought in that general area of the apartment. Jace I suddenly thought acidly. Well that explained why Audrey took the bed. Damn him! I didn't need his help. I didn't want his help. I sat up and suddenly realized that may have been a bad idea.

"Ahh!" I said hitting the floor. As I had stood up, both my legs went out from under me not wanting to take the weight. Both Audrey and Jace shot up in their respective beds. "Oh my god!" Audrey exclaimed coming over to help me up. "Are you ok? What happened?" "What's going on?" Jace asked sleepily from the couch. Seeing me on the floor he suddenly jumped up as if hit with a taser. "I'm fine," I said sending calm towards him. "Go back to sleep." He sat back down, but didn't take his eyes off of me. Well at least he didn't put on his shining armour yet. I grabbed Audrey's outstretched hand and let her pull me up slowly. "I think I just stood up too fast," I said as she helped me up. "My brain is trying to tell me something." "Well maybe you should listen," Jace said from the couch. "We can't have you go falling around all day." I rolled my eyes and walked over to the kitchen to get some water. I wasn't going to let him see how much energy this was taking. Audrey followed close behind, afraid that Jace was right about me falling down. "What do you mean 'your brain is trying to tell you something'?" She asked as I sipped on my water leaning against the counter. "That's how we found you," I said plainly. "I could hear you, in the Barn. But it took a lot out of me to focus on you since I wasn't even sure it was really you. I mean we all thought you were gone and then suddenly I could hear you. It was like a weird episode of The Twilight Zone…although this whole town is like a weird episode of The Twilight Zone, so I'm not sure why we were surprised," I paused taking another big gulp of water. I could feel the confusion and the tension in the room. Was I really going to have to explain this to them? Because I really wasn't in the mood right now. I wanted to make sure Rose was ok. I knew that the events of yesterday had taken a toll on her mentally and physically too. I also knew that I had to talk to Audrey and figure out what the hell was going on with her. Not that I minded this new persona.

She had brunette hair, streaked with blond, a nose ring, and was wearing a leather jacket. Now this was the kind of girl I had things in common with. Not that I didn't have things in common with Rose or that I didn't like hanging out with Rose. I did. I really did, actually, if I was being honest with myself. But she wasn't exactly the type of girl I would normally hang around. But she was insistent and after lots of talking, mostly on her part, I felt myself, somehow, begin to open up to her and feel...safe...But I didn't have time to think about that right now. I had to talk to Audrey, or Lexie, or whoever she was and figure out what we were going to do about the Troubles. "Well, this has been immensely fun!" I said sarcastically to Jace. "But I think it's time you leave now. I've got to change and I'd like to get to know Lexie a little better." Jace's face showed hurt and anger on it. I felt a pang of guilt go through me. Damn him! I kept staring pointedly at him, trying to make my point. "Oh no, he doesn't have to go," Audrey said, trying to defuse the tension that was building in the room. "Yes he does," I said simply, turning around to grab a bowl out of the cupboard. Jace got up stubbornly and moved to the door. I continued rummaging through the cupboard. When I found a bowl I moved to get the cereal. I felt Jace pause by the door and "saw" that he was waiting for me to call him back, hoping I would change my mind. I continued to pour my cereal, purposely not looking at him. "Right then," he said deflated. "Bye." He walked out, closing the door behind him and I heard his foot falls on the stairs. I could hear his thoughts until he got to the road. They were a mixture of confusion, hurt, and anger, wanting to understand me, but not able to. And you never will I thought to myself and sighed. "You didn't have to kick him out," Audrey said, grabbing her own bowl of cereal and sitting on the bed. "I actually thought he was kinda cute! We could have totally-" I put my hand up, stopping her from finishing that thought out loud. I went to sit on the bed with her. "Firstly, he did need to leave. I don't want him here. And secondly, I know who you are Audrey," I looked at her pointedly, hoping she would stop the cherade. "There's no need to pretend."

She sighed and played with her cereal. "Yeah, Rose mentioned something about that yesterday in Duke's car," she said almost unwillingly. "It's too bad, I thought you'd like Lexie." she said looking up at me and smiling. "I think I modeled her after you a little." I cocked an eyebrow. "Really?" I asked half flattered and half annoyed. Nobody could copy me and my style. I was one of a kind! "Well you got the outfit wrong, though the jacket was nice! And you forgot the tattoos," I said looking down at my wrists. "Oh yeah," she said smiling. "I forgot about those. How many do you have again?" "Four," I said around a mouthfull of cereal. "One on each wrist, one here," I said, indicating my left side, "and one here," I continued, pointing to the back of my neck. "So," I continued, changing the subject, "What's the plan?" I asked. Audrey swallowed her bite of cereal before responding. "I don't know. Shouldn't we call Rose and make sure she's ok? I know she'd want to discuss this with us." Audrey asked, concern coloring her voice and thoughts. "She's fine, she's sleeping," I said, getting another spoonful of cereal. Audrey looked up at me in utter confusion. I pointed to my head with my spoon. "You can hear her all the way from here?" She asked me in astonishment. "Yeah," I said calmly. "It's easier to do when I have a connection with the person already. I know what to listen for, but I can do it with perfect strangers too. It just takes concentration. It's not immediate, like hearing the thoughts that are right around me," I said as I waved my empty spoon in the air, indicating the space around me. "The same is true for feeling people," I continued, still holding my spoon in my hand like a wand. "But I have to really focus for that." Although that might be because I don't allow myself to actually know people well enough...I thought. I put my spoon back in my bowl and realized I'd eaten all the cereal. I drank the rest of the milk and got up, walking back into the kitchen. "But…" Audrey said from the bed, still trying to wrap her head around what I'd just said. "How?" she finally finished. "I heard you didn't I?" I asked putting my bowl in the sink. "Just think of it like this. Imagine you are in a crowded room and there are hundreds of different conversations going on, but you can't actually hear what people are saying. But then suddenly you hear a voice in the corner you recognize. It's the same thing. If I'm not looking for any voice in particular, it takes serious concentration to hear someone's voice far away above the din of everyone else, but if I know what I'm looking for, it's easy to find." I came back over to sit on the bed. "When Rose wakes up, I'll let her know that we are awake and that she should come over. Until then, you need to start thinking of a plan because at this point, we are all kind of screwed!"

I cleaned the bowls from breakfast and went to the closet. I grabbed a pair of jeans, a white lacy see-through top, and a black undershirt. I went into the bathroom to shower, letting the hot water ease my muscles into relaxation and to clean off all of yesterday. I also wanted to scrubb Jace clean out of my head. Unfortunately no amount of shampoo or soap could do that. After I got dressed and put my hair up in braids, I went back out into the apartment to find that Audrey had gone outside to think. I could feel her anxiety but I tried to ignore it. I needed a clear head. I sat on the couch and listened closely, trying to hear if Rose was still dreaming or not. I imagined myself near the Rouge and was surprised to find that not only was she up, she seemed to be in deep discussion with both Duke and Dwight. That's weird, I thought. What was Dwight doing there? I mean I knew he had feelings for Rose, but thankfully for me, he'd been ignoring them. I think some part of him was actually afraid of what Duke would do to him if he ever found out. I focused all my attention on the conversation, imagining myself sitting with them on the Rouge. Suddenly my eyes flew open! She did not just say that?!No, not possible, she couldn't, she wouldn't! I listened harder wishing I could hear all sides of the conversation. I tried something I'd never done before; listening to two different people that I wasn't in close proximity with. This meant clearing my head of ALL other thoughts around me and focusing on Duke and Rose at the same time. I knew that I wouldn't be able to hear Dwight. I didn't know him well enough to be able to hear him and the other two all at once. Rose was telling them about this story that her grandmother had told her as a young girl. It was about a woman who had two "loves of her life". And she was telling them it had happened to them!? What? That's not possible!And he's ok with this? People couldn't love more than one person like that at once! This was insane! It sounded to me like a way for a girl to be with two guys at once. I suddenly realized that I could feel a rush of anger in the pit of my stomach. My brother deserves better than this! I was shocked at how quickly my overprotective side had kicked in. I would have to talk to Rose about this. Find out what her intentions were in a matter of speaking. I realized I wasn't breathing and took a deep breath in. I felt the calming effects immediately and kept it up so that I wouldn't sound as angry as I was. Rose, I called to her, reaching out. Audrey and I are awake. We need to talk.


	10. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

BOTH

Rose, Mari and Audrey had been sitting on the couches and chairs in the apartments small living room for hours trying to come up with some form of a plan that didn't involve Audrey killing Nathan and they were getting nowhere. It also didn't help that Rose could feel the waves of confusion, anger and hurt rolling off of Mari continuously. It was a relief when Nathan and Duke stopped by to pick up Audrey for a case. Duke gave Rose a soft kiss on the lips and hugged Mari before he and Nathan whisked Audrey away, leaving the two women sitting in silence.

"Okay," Rose began slowly. "What's the problem?" Mari knew that Rose was merely asking out of courtesy, but she didn't want to answer her either way. She crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Nothing." Rose scoffed and got out of the chair she was sitting in. "Mari you know you can't lie to me like that. I can feel how pissed off you are. And we can't come up with a plan together if you're pissed off with me. So spill!" Rose practically shouted in frustration, the energies in the room making her more snappy than usual. Mari glared at her. She knew she shouldn't, but she allowed herself to be taken over by the frustration and anger in the room, still amazed at how angry she was with Rose. "How could you?" She snapped back at Rose, equalling her anger. "Do you love him? Or are you just toying with him because the sex is good? Or are you toying with Dwight?" By now she was on her feet and wanted to fling the table lamp at Rose. Rose stared at her in pure confusion for a moment. "What the hell are you talking about?!" she cried. She felt tears of frustration building in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. Oh Crap! Now she's going to cry! Mari thought to herself throwing her hands in the air and turning away, stalked off to another part of the room. "You think I asked for this?! You think I WANT to be blessed by the Goddess with this?!" she yelled, practically sneering the word 'blessed' as if it were a curse. "Do you know how hard it is to be honest with the man you love and the man you are growing to love and know that by being honest with them about not only what you are feeling for them and they are feeling for you but also what THEY are feeling for EACH OTHER you may lose them both?!" "Sounds like a load of crap!" Mari shouted back. "Sounds like something girls say to get the best of both worlds!" "Look into my head Mari. Read my thoughts, my feelings, my memories. Tell me I'm lying! Tell me I have completely misread every single sign that has been thrown my way! I was raised in a culture where something like this is so rare and precious that we are taught the signs even if we never are granted the opportunity to see it!" Rose said as she offered her hands to Mari, giving her the option of going into her mind, hoping it would show her how much she hadn't asked for this. "I'd really rather not," Mari said bluntly. "Like I said before, I really don't want to see THAT much about my brother or you!" "It's not the sex you'd be seeing," Rose said and she quickly pressed her hand to Mari's, showing her the scene she had witnessed between Duke and Dwight.

Mari jerked her hand away. She wasn't sure why. She knew Rose was right, but some part of her was unwilling to accept it. She'd traveled enough to see relationships like this in other cultures, but somehow this was just too hard to understand. She sat heavily on the bed and stared out the window across from her. "Mari," Rose said softly. "I didn't ask for this, nor did I want it. I didn't expect to even find Duke. You know that. You've seen that. I would never do anything to hurt him." Mari lay back on the bed heaving a big sigh. She was still annoyed, but she said, "Yeah, I know." She stared at the ceiling trying to understand what had just happened. Why had she gotten so annoyed and angry? She loved Duke, sure, but this level of protectiveness wasn't like her. Although, the more she thought about it, she hadn't let anyone get this close to her in years, so maybe this was normal.

Rose moved to sit down next to her. "Mari," she began softly. "You need to let someone besides Duke and I in." "Gah!" Mari said to no one in particular. "Honestly, it would be good for you. And I know of a very specific someone who WANTS to get to know you," Rose said, nudging her side softly as she felt the anger dissipate. Mari sat up on her elbows, seeing Jace's face swim into Rose's mind. "Are you insane?" she asked Rose. "There is no way in hell I am letting him in! Absolutely not!" "And why not? He truly seems to want to get to know you and, from what I can tell he seems to be a genuine guy. A little cocky, but…" she trailed off. "That would mean nothing if you truly liked him." You should know why, Mari thought adding just a hint of sadness to her thought. Rose gave her a sad smile. "You need to move forward from that. He isn't going to hurt you Mari. Trust me...I've recently become an expert on the looks of love," she began, sending her an image of a look shared between Dwight and Duke. "And he looks at you in that same way." Mari winced. "An expert huh?" she said layering her voice with sarcasm. "Alright miss expert answer me this. How do we fix the Audrey/Nathan situation we've got going on here?" Rose smiled. "Two simple things, we find a way to make it so that Audrey doesn't have to kill Nathan and then we lock them in a bedroom with no way out and nice big bed and let them figure things out!" Mari burst out laughing. "If anyone needs a little sex therapy it's those two that's for sure," she said trying to catch her breath. She rolled onto her side. "Ok, so, we just need to find a way to end the troubles…" she said pausing to think. "This is going to be a long night." Rose nodded in agreement and began to settle onto the bed. They spent the rest of the night pouring through any and all records and information they could get their hands on. At nearly 3 am they finally passed out from exhuastion

Rose woke up with a jolt as her cell phone began to ring. "Damn it!" she grumbled as she got up to grab it. "Hey A-Lexie," Rose answered, still half asleep, until she heard what Audrey was saying. "What do you mean Duke's been possessed?!" She shrieked, causing Mari to jump up in confusion and alarm. "Okay we are on our way!" Rose said as she quickly hung up the phone. "Duke's been possessed by some guy...with a weird trouble." "I heard," Mari said grumpily as she rolled off the bed to find her shoes. "I can't explain it, but Audrey will when we get there," Rose finished as she grabbed her wallet and keys. She flicked her wrist and all the lights in the house turned off, all the scattered papers were neatly piled up and the windows were all shut and locked. "We are meeting them at the hospital."

As they neared the hospital, Mari could sense the tension around her and knew something was off. She looked at Rose and knew she could feel it too. She reached out, trying to find Duke in the crowd. "You won't hear him," Rose said quietly. Oh yeah, Mari thought. Possession meant that a person had someone else's thoughts in their head, instead of their own. Rose quickly got out of the car and found Dwight and Nathan standing near the entrance to the area of the hospital that was under construction. "Where's A-Lexie?" she asked in concern. "Where's Duke?" Mari asked at the same time. Dwight met Rose's worried eyes with his own and discreetly touched her hand as he pointed towards the hospital. "Lexie followed Duke, who is possessed by a young man who, by giving himself seizures, can take over other peoples body, provided he has an object that they have given to him. And he hid his body somewhere in here. We think that the kid thinks that if he kills his body while in another body, he will fully integrate into the host body, therefore killing Duke…" Nathan responded softly. Rose's heart clenched in panic. "No!" she whispered in horror. Mari clenched her hands into fists. "No! No way! I just got Duke back there's no way in hell I'm letting some angsty teenager take him away from me!" She said angrily. She started to walk towards the doors that led to the hospital basement. "Oh no you don't," Nathan said, putting his arms around Mari's waist and picking her up like a child. "Lexie's already in there, give her a chance". His voice was steady, but Mari could hear the doubt in his head. "How long has she been in there?" she asked Nathan. "5 minutes," he replied. "Ok, she gets 5 more and if they are not both out here then I'm going in!" she said staring at the doors. Dwight gently placed an arm around Rose and pulled her into his chest, holding her tightly as they both watched the doors. Rose reached a hand out and placed it on Mari's and squeezed it gently and Mari returned it.

Two more minutes passed and then there was movement as Lexie emerged from the hospital followed by a beat up, but alive Duke. Rose glanced towards Mari to ensure that she could read him. If she couldn't...she shook her head, refusing to follow that thought, but Mari was already halfway across the parking lot running to Duke. She threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck not wanting to let go. She felt Duke's initial surprise as she hit home and then his arms were around her waist holding her tightly to him. She felt a shudder go through her and she suddenly realized she was crying. "It's ok," Duke whispered in her ear. "It's ok." Rose collapsed into Dwight, her legs having turned to jelly with relief. She sobbed into his shoulder as he held her to him. "He's okay, Rose. He's okay," he kept murmuring into her ear as Duke, still carrying Mari, moved towards them both. They were all still wary of what was going on between them, but there was no denying the relief that they were all safe. Rose wrapped her arms around Duke and Mari simultaneously and Dwight placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Once both women had calmed down they noticed a common thought running through Duke's head. He knows...Rose whispered to Mari. He figured it out. He knows that it's actually Audrey…Mari moved her head so that she was looking at Rose. But if he knows...if he tells Nathan the Guard will force Audrey to kill him! Rose thought for a bit. I don't think he is going to tell Nathan until he is certain. So we just need to be there when he confronts Audrey she said, hoping it would work. Ok, thought Mari, not bothering with any snark or sarcasm. She allowed herself to be content in the moment for the first time in a long time.

The group dispersed with Nathan and Dwight having to head back to the station while the girls and Duke headed back to the Gull. All three women knew what was going to happen as Duke suddenly stopped and started talking. "You know I've been thinking about what happened down in that basement. You just stepped aside and let Tyler try to take me," he began. Audrey froze between Rose and Mari and slowly turned to face him. "I don't know what to say. I'm sorry I just, I didn't want to get stabbed. I was scared," she tried to explain. "See that's where I get stuck. You jumped out of that barn, went down in that basement. I guess I'm just having a hard time believing that you were scared. I think you knew that my curse would kick in and save me," Duke pressed. "I really, I don't know the first thing about it," Audrey responded as she turned her back again and tried to get back to the apartment before he could say more. "But Audrey Parker would. Isn't that right, Audrey?" All three of the girls froze and Audrey looked at Rose and Mari with panic in her eyes, but Rose nodded to her. "Damn it Duke. Yeah it's me," Audrey said finally as she turned around. he stared at her for a moment before moving to take her into his arms. He looked over her head at the other two. "You two already knew?" he asked softly. They both nodded. "Witch," Rose said softly as Mari responded, "Mind reader." He nodded and held Audrey closer.

It was then that Mari thought back to what had been said. "Wait a second," she said slowly. "You LET this psycho try and take my brother?!" Audrey turned and smiled slightly. "We didn't really have a choice, Mari," she explained. They all moved inside then as Duke and Audrey explained the particulars of the case and how everything had culminated with the two of them in the basement. "Well I still don't like it," Mari said stubbornly, crossing her arms as Audrey finished her story. "What if you'd been wrong?" Audrey looked at her and returned her stubborn glance before rolling her eyes. "I hoped I wouldn't be. I knew that the Crocker curse canceled out every other Trouble, like your mothers', so I hoped it would do the same with Tylers'." "You're lucky it worked," Mari said. "Or this would be a completely different conversation." Duke laughed. "Mari relax, everything worked out. Audrey knows what she's doing," he said, putting a hand gently on her shoulder. Rose nodded in agreement with Duke as she leaned against him. "In the end it was a risky decision, but we can't dwell on the "what-ifs", Mari," she said softly. Mari sighed. "Oh alright," she said finally giving in. "I guess I should thank you then," she added turning to Audrey. "You're welcome," Audrey said smiling. Mari could feel that everyone was exhausted and she had to admit, she was tired too, but she had one thing she had to do before this day was over.

"Hey Duke," she said softly. "Can I talk to you a minute?" Alone. She sent him, not wanting to involve Audrey in the conversation. "Sure," Duke said as he nudged Rose up. He followed her outside where she perched on the railing. He leaned against it, crossing his arms and looking at her. "So what's up?" He finally asked her. "Are you really ok with this?" She asked him, concern coloring her voice. He looked at her confused. "Ok with what?" He asked her. "With you and Rose and...Dwight?" Mari asked him looking him dead in the eyes, not wanting to miss his reaction to Dwight's name. The reaction Mari saw was not the one she expected. At the mention of Rose's name the look in his eyes got soft and at the mention of Dwight's name the look got softer, if that was even possible. "Yeah...I...I really am…" he replied softly. "I know it's…" "Strange. Wierd. Unheard of. A little freaky?" Mari supplied sarcastically even though she was smiling. "Different," Duke finished smiling at his sister's snarky remarks. "But this feeling...I can't just ignore it. I've tried and it doesn't work. I can honestly say that while I may not love Dwight...I am well on my way towards it…" Mari felt Duke's emotions and knew that he was telling the truth. She put her hand out and touched his arm. "Well, I never took you for the softy, lovey, dovey, type bro but…" she paused trying to find a way to say what she wanted to say without adding snark. He looked at her as she thought. Finally she said, "If this makes you happy, who am I to question it?" "Come here," Duke said as he pulled her into a big hug.


	11. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

MARI

I paced back and forth in my apartment. "You can do this," I said to myself shaking my hands. "You can do this." I took a deep breath, the way one might before a big game. "Are you trying to wear a hole in the floor? Cause I don't think the Gull needs a skylight," said a voice behind me. I snapped my head up and turned on the spot to see Jace leaning against my doorframe. "What are you doing here?" I asked a little too rudely. "Um, you called me, remember?" He asked crossing his arms. Oh yeah, I thought. That was the whole reason I was pacing in the first place. I had called and asked him to come by because I wanted to ask him to dinner. Shocking I know, but after the other night, I felt bad, and something Duke had said had made me think I should. I suddenly thought about that conversation with Duke.

As I sat on the railing downstairs, Duke pulled me in for a big bear hug. I clung to him as I had earlier that day, not wanting to let go. "So what's up with you and Jace?" he asked after I finally let go. "Nothing," I responded cooley. "Why?" I asked. Duke looked at me considering. "He just seems like the kind of guy you'd go for, so I guess I'm wondering why you haven't." I rolled my eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be against me 'going for' guys?" I asked him, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Only if I don't think they are good enough for you," he replied. "Right. Thanks for the clarification. I'll keep that in mind next time I decide to go to a biker bar," I said mocking. Duke laughed. "Ok, but seriously, why not Jace? He seems like a good kid." I sighed.

Clearly there was no getting around the conversation. "Because…" I started, staring out at the water trying to find a way to answer his question without actually answering his question. "Because?" he prompted me. "Because...because it would never work. I doubt he's gonna stay in Haven for much longer. Why start a relationship that's doomed to fail?" Duke smiled and shook his head. "Mari, Mari, Mari," he said also looking out at the water. "Yes…" I said slowly, cocking an eyebrow and turning to look at him. "You are a lot like me, you know?" He continued, still smiling. "Exactly how, in this particular situation?" I asked slightly curious. He turned to me. "Not everything in life is a chessboard Mar," he said. I switched eyebrows and gave him a look of utter confusion. "Excuse me?" I asked. He took my hand in his gently. "You look at life and don't do anything unless you can see the endgame. You plan twenty moves ahead before the game's even started, making sure that you end up with the checkmate," he said. "I get it, it makes sense in our previous lines of work, but in life...well like I said, life isn't a game of chess." I begged to differ. Life was the biggest game of chess there was, but I was curious so I asked, "Ok, but how does that apply to this situation?" He gently put his hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look up at him. "It means that relationships aren't about 'winning' or 'losing'. They don't work the same way, they aren't a game that you can manipulate to work for your benefit. You just have to take one step at a time and see where the road takes you. Do you know how long it took me to get up the nerve to ask Rose out? Almost 2 months. For the same reason as you. She wasn't supposed to stay in Haven very long, but sometimes it's completely worth the risk. And I have a feeling that this is one of those times." I sighed and some part of me accepted that he was right, except that my reasons for not asking Jace out went far beyond him not staying in Haven. But my previous relationship had been played like a game by both players and neither ended up winning anything. I looked at Duke and smiled. "Ok Obi-wan," I said laughing, "What's the first step?" "Dinner," he said simply.

"So are you gonna tell me why I'm here or are you just gonna stand there pretending like I'm the biggest idiot in the world?" Jace asked, bringing me out of my memory. I bit my lower lip, thinking. Band aid, I thought and moved forward. "I was wondering if you might want to come over for dinner?" I said. "With me," I added quickly, just to make sure I was clear. He raised his eyebrow. Really? Is she serious? he thought before answering, "Really? Where'd you have in mind?" he asked. "Here," I said looking around the apartment. "You can cook?" He asked pointedly. "Yes I can cook!" I responded sharply. He threw his hands up in mock surrender and smiled. "Ok, ok, just checking. You just don't seem like the 'homemaker' type is all," he said. "Hmph!" I huffed, sounding like a disgruntled teenager. He smiled that amazingly beautiful smile and said, "Sure, I'd love to come to dinner. What time?" "Six," I said. "See you then!" he said smoothly and walked back down the stairs. Great! Now I have to figure out what to cook for dinner!

I spent the rest of the afternoon cooking and getting things ready for tonight. I didn't have to clean very much because the apartment had been empty for so long, but I made my bed, twice, and straightened the blanket on the back of the couch and the dishes in the cupboards. I had decided to make spaghetti, since it was easy and was in the process of putting the noodles into a large pot when I heard a knock on the door. I wiped my hands on a towel and ran to open it. I opened it to find Jace in a pair of dark jeans and a light blue v-neck t-shirt that hugged his well-toned body. His arms were covered in the swirling tattoos I'd noticed before. His blond hair was bright, reflecting the last light of the sun and his eyes shone like golden pools. I suddenly was reminded through his mind that I was still wearing the same dirty denim shorts and white cami I'd been wearing when he stopped by earlier. Damn! I thought to myself. I had meant to change, but I had gotten so distracted by nerves that I had clearly forgotten. He smiled and said, "Hello". "Hey," I said. "Come on in." I stood to the side, allowing him entrance into the apartment. He walked in a few steps and then turned back to me. "These," he said handing me a bouquet of red roses. "Are for you." I was stunned. It's not like I'd never gotten roses before, but never from a guy I actually liked, let alone was trying to have a normal dinner date with. "Wow," I responded, taking them. "Thanks!" I walked over to the kitchen praying Rose had left a vase here somewhere. As I rummaged through the cupboards, I could hear Jace looking around the apartment. "Nice place," he said cooly. "Thanks." I said momentarily distracted. Jace took note. Ah-ha! I finally found what I was looking for and pulled out a simple vase. I put some water in it and put the roses inside. Setting it on the counter, I moved back to the pasta. "It smells good in here," Jace said, moving into the kitchen. "Thanks. Don't get too excited, it's just spaghetti." Jace laughed. "I love spaghetti, unless my sister Isabelle makes it," he replied thoughtfully. I laughed. "She a bad cook?" I asked. "Terrible!" he replied. "I think she is actually trying get us all sick." "Wow!" I said laughing. I checked the pasta, making sure it was done and then put it in a bowl. I poured the sauce on top and went to set it in the middle of the table. "Could you grab those two plates?" I asked Jace, pointing to the two plates I had sitting on the counter. He grabbed them and came over to the table, handing one to me. We sat down. "Dig in!" I said gesturing to the bowl of pasta.

As we ate we talked about life, what we liked, what we didn't like. I was surprised to see that we actually had a lot in common. Despite our curiously chaotic lives, we both loved reading and listening to music. We even both had a secret passion for the piano and classical music. I was surprised when he told me that Bach had been a Shadowhunter and that the music he had written actually repelled demons. "You're joking!" I said. "Nope," he said shaking his head. "Holy shit!" I replied. After we finished Jace tried to convince me to let him do the dishes. "No just leave them!" I said. "I can do them later it's really not a big deal!" I managed to convince him and we moved to sit on the couch. I wedged myself into the corner, crossing my legs, putting my right arm up on the back of the couch. He sat on the other end of it with his right arm on the arm of the couch. "So…" I said, trying to start a conversation. He looked at me and I started to drown in his eyes. "So…" he said. "How long are you planning to be in Haven?" I asked, pulling the first thing out the air that I could think of. He shrugged. "Not really sure yet," he replied. "Kinda just depends on some things." I saw my face swim into his mind. Oh God!Just breathe Mar, just breathe. One step at a time. This isn't a game. I looked away from his face towards the fireplace.

Jace kept looking at me and I suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to kiss him. I tried to fight the feeling off as hard as I could, but some part of me wanted to give in and it won. I moved forward so that I was next to him and put my hand on his face, gently. I looked him in the eyes as I moved my head closer to his. Just before leaning in to kiss his lips, I closed my eyes and I could feel his eyelashes flutter on my face, signaling that he had closed his. I kissed his lips softly at first, but the kiss quickly became deeper. His tongue brushed my bottom lip, begging for entrance. I granted it, letting his tongue search my mouth. My tongue danced with his as the kiss grew more and more passionate. I moved my body so that I was now sitting on his lap, my arms around his neck, my hands tangling in his hair, holding his face as close to mine as was humanly possible. His hands moved to my hips and held me on his lap. He was afraid to let go of me. Without knowing what I was doing I let his feelings push me forward. His hands slowly started to make their way up my back, under my shirt and I let them. A small part of my brain told me to stop, that this wasn't right, but I pushed it back, not wanting to listen. He started kissing my jawline and then down my neck. I moaned as his kisses traveled to my collarbone. I could see what he wanted to do, so I leaned back, giving him access to my now bare stomach. He kissed his way down from the hem of my shirt, which was now up around my ribcage, all the way down to the top of my shorts. I moaned again and this time he moaned with me. He moved his head to the right slightly on his way back up and noticed the butterfly tattoo on my left side. He made a mental note to himself to ask me about it later. My mind was racing! I wanted him in every way that I could have him. I had to have him. It had been so long! I moved again so that I was lying on the couch and pulled him on top of me. As our bodies pressed together we both let out a low, gutteral moan. He started kissing my lips again and ran his hand up my stomach, clearly requesting access to the bra clasp behind my back. I decided to play coy and didn't give it to him.

Instead I wound my legs into his, running my right leg up his to his butt. As I was about to lock it in place around his waist that voice in my head started screaming. As if waking up from a dream I realized what I was doing and froze. Jace felt my body change and he looked at me, his face caught between concern and lust. "Get off me," I said breathless from the kissing. "What?" he asked in confusion. "Get off me!" I almost yelled. He scrambled up. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked. Yes! and No! both flashed through my head. "Look it's not you, it's me," I said getting up off the couch quickly and pulling my shirt down. I cursed myself for retreating to that stupid line. Except, I reminded myself as I moved to the other side of the room, in this case, it's actually true. Jace looked hurt and I could feel his anger start to bubble up. "Look if you didn't want me to come over tonight you didn't have to ask!" He shot at me. My eyebrows shot up. Was he really gonna prove me right and be like every other guy? "Just because I asked you over for dinner does NOT mean I had any plans to sleep with you!" I shot back. "You were the one that started making out with me!" he yelled. "So?" I screamed back. "Is there a law somewhere that states 'You can only make out with a guy if you plan on sleeping with him'?!" I shouted. "Of course not, but you just…" he started. "Just what?" I asked. "Nothing," he replied shaking his head and looking angry. "I'm sorry tonight wasn't everything you'd hoped it would be!" I shot at him. I suddenly felt his mood shift from anger to hurt and confusion. I realized what I said and took another step back. I had done it. Without even meaning to I'd crossed the line. So much for no one losing I thought. "Mari, that's not...I never meant…" he said, taking a step closer to me. "Forget it!" I said and ran outside, thudding down the stairs and straight for the water.

I stood on the dock next to the Gull, thinking. I heard his thoughts as he came down the stairs. Damn! Not again! What is she so afraid of? I stared out into the water. If only he knew. If only I could tell him. But I can't. He'd never understand. I felt his wariness as he approached me. "Pretty good for our first official fight don't you think?" he said, his tone light. I said nothing, afraid of what would come out of my mouth. "You forgot your shoes," he said cautiously. I rolled my eyes. It was the middle of summer and even here in Maine it was warm. I didn't need shoes. "Mari talk to me," he said putting the shoes on one of the deck chairs. "It's nothing. Sorry. I guess I just freaked," I said turning, bringing my hair over my right shoulder and crossing my arms. "No, don't do that! Don't put your walls up." He came over to me and put his hands on my arms. "Talk to me," he said kindly. "Why are you so afraid of this, of us? Why do you keep pushing me away?" I looked up and saw that he was looking at me with a mixture of warmth and concern. I let out a huge breath I didn't even know I was holding and bit my bottom lip. I wanted to tell him. I wanted to trust him. I turned away from him and looked at the water again. I felt him move to sit on the arm of one of the deck chairs, never taking his eyes off of me. If I was going to do this I had to be completely honest. I had to tell him everything. Ok, I thought, ok. I took a shaky breath and brought my arms up to lean on the railing for support. As I began talking I looked straight out at the water, not able to bring myself to look at Jace.

"I'm not like other people. I've never been like other people. I hear and feel everything. It's like I'm an exposed nerve. My mom died when I was five, before she could explain any of this. Before she could tell me what it meant, to hear other people in your head all the time, and my dad, he never knew he was Troubled and after she died... he changed. He wasn't as happy as he used to be. He tried for me, but I could always hear that he wanted out. I forced myself to grow up fast so that he wouldn't have to take care of me as much. And on top of that, I could hear what everyone was thinking all the time! And I could feel them! My friends would act like they cared about me to my face, but underneath I felt nothing but pity. It was awful! By the time I was 8 I realized that I was going to have to live my life alone. High school was like hell. Imagine feeling the hormones of 300 kids all day, every day! It was like someone's sick joke! The girls all thought I was weird and the guys all thought about me as a piece of meat. It gave me a really twisted version of reality. I thought about leaving every single day, but I knew my dad would have been heart-broken if I didn't graduate and go to college. That's the only reason I stayed after he died. But I never went to college. When I was out on my own I...did things I'm not proud of. I had to make money somehow so I started transporting packages, racing cars, anything I could do for money. But I got lonely and I realized I could kill two birds with one stone...so to speak. I started charging guys for nights spent with me. It was easy, thanks to my abilities. I knew exactly how to dress, how to fix my hair, what to say, how to act. I thought it was the best of both worlds. Everyone got what they wanted. Men got to sleep with the girl of their dreams and I got to pretend that it was real. I never had to worry about them leaving me or disappointing me later on. And then I met Ethan and he was sexy and funny and we worked so well together, and even when he hit me and smacked me around I always convinced myself that it wasn't as bad as it looked." I could feel the tears sting at the corners of my eyes and I couldn't help what I said next. It all just spilled out. "I've never thought I was pretty or worthy of real love. That no guy would ever actually love me. I knew men liked to look at me, but it always just felt fake. Like they weren't really seeing me. I think that's why I was with Ethan for so long. Even though he abused me, I somehow convinced myself that this was the best I was ever going to get. The best I deserved. And after it ended, I told myself that I would never let someone get that close to me ever again!" By this point I was sobbing uncontrollably, but I somehow managed to keep going. "And then I show up here and Duke cares, and Rose cares, and Nathan cares, and you care, and I guess I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop because I feel like there's no way in hell that many people could really care about me! And I'm scared as hell because I want to let you in. But I don't know how and I'm afraid that if I do, you'll just hurt me like everyone else! And the fact that I'm standing here, telling you all of this! That scares me too! You make me want to bring my walls down, but I'm terrified because if you hurt me…" I trailed off, leaning all my weight against the railing, letting the sobs overtake me.

There was complete silence behind me and for a moment I thought maybe Jace had left at some point. Maybe I had actually scared him off. But then I heard his thoughts. I never thought I'd see an angel, but here she is. I turned suddenly, not quite sure if I'd heard him right and found he was standing right behind me. I looked up at his face and saw pure love and adoration. "How could you possible think you aren't worthy of love? How could you believe that you aren't beautiful?" He asked me as he put his arms around my waist comfortingly. He pulled me in for a tight hug and whispered softly in my ear, "I promise on my life that I will help you see yourself the way I see you and help you feel worthy. You are the most beautiful thing in this whole world and are worthy of the truest, deepest love." I started to bawl again as I laid my head on his shoulder. We stayed like this for a while, Jace letting me cry myself out. When the tears finally stopped I looked up at him. Sniffling I said, "I should have known it would take more than a scary story to scare off a demon fighter." We both smiled. "Yes," he said warmly, wiping the tears from my face. "You should have." Then he put his hands on my cheeks, he leaned down and kissed me. It was the sweetest, most tender kiss I had ever felt. I closed my eyes, my lips moving slowly with his and I could feel myself start to melt into him. He pulled away slightly and I whimpered at the distance. He put his forehead on mine, keeping his eyes closed and smiling slightly. "I love you," he said quietly. "I will always love you".

I woke up the next morning curled up in bed with a warm body wrapped around me. I smiled to myself as I felt Jace's heartbeat against my back, through my shirt, and his breath on the back of my neck. Even though we had ended the night in bed, we hadn't had sex. Jace realized that I needed him to wait until I could trust myself in our relationship. When he told me this, I nearly jumped him then and there, but settled for trying to convince him to stay the night and just sleep with me. I managed to convince him easily enough and we had gone to bed, Jace opening his arms so that I could snuggle into him. I wasn't generally the snuggling type and when I told him this, he settled for just lying next to me. I was surprised to find that waking up with his arm around me actually felt good. I looked down at his arm now and saw the black swirling tattoos. I began tracing one of them lightly with my finger. It kind of looked like two Polynesian fishhooks stuck together. I felt Jace's breath change and "heard" his thoughts change from a picturesque scene of a boy standing in a field with a hawk, to the feeling of my finger on his arm. "Sorry," I whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you up." He nuzzled the back of my head with his nose. That was going to have to change. Along with snuggling, I didn't do nuzzling either. "It's ok," he whispered back, his voice thick with sleep. "How did you sleep?" he asked me. "Pretty good," I said, allowing the smile to come through in my voice. "You?" "Not bad," he said in the same tone.

"It means strength," he said. "Hm? Oh," I said confused at first but then realizing I was still tracing his tattoo. "My kind, Shadowhunters, we draw power from our tattoos," he said, answering my unasked question. "That one gives me strength, the one below it is for stamina, and the one on my shoulder is called an Iratze. It's used for quickly healing." "When do you get them put on?" I asked him as he shifted his weight so that he was supporting himself with his left arm. "We get our first runes when we are 11," he said and he indicated his left hand. "That's the Angelic rune. It's the first rune we get. It supposedly symbolizes our 'Angelic bonds' to each other as well as to the angels we are supposedly descended from." "Supposedly?" I asked, rolling onto my back so that I could look at him better. "I'm not sure I believe it," he said. He moved a stray piece of hair out of my face and stroked my cheek with his thumb. "Until last night I didn't even believe in angels." I blushed four shades of red and rolled my eyes, instantly retreating into my cave of snark and sarcasm, wanting to deflect the compliment. "I should add 'take a compliment' to the list of things I'm going to teach you," Jace said and he leaned down to kiss me. I kissed him back. As I wrapped my arms around his neck, he wrapped his around my back, holding each other close, neither wanting to let go. I had to break away first in order to breathe. As I did, I rolled on to my side to check the time on my phone.

"What does this mean?" Jace asked as he placed a kiss on the base of my neck, referring to the tattoo that was just visible above the collar of my shirt. I saw the swirling letters in my head, the way the ink looked like it had been written on water.I like it when it rains hard. It sounds like white noise everywhere, which is like silence but not empty. "It's a from a book," I said, rolling back over to look at him. "But it's also got personal meaning." Jace traced patterns on my shoulder. "Like what?" he asked, gently pushing me for the same amount of detail he'd given me. One step at a time right? I thought to myself. "Water silences all the voices in my head. Quiets the emotions, makes it so I can think. That's why Rose let me stay here with her before she moved in with Duke. When I read it, it was like it had been written specifically for me, so I found a guy, told him what I wanted, and bam. Instant personal ink." Jace laughed lightly. "But why the back of your neck?" he asked. I sighed and looked up at the ceiling thinking. Why had I gotten it on the base of my neck? "I guess," I said thinking out loud. "Well I already had these ones," I said, pointing to the tattoos on my wrists and the one on my left side. "and I knew this was going to need space, but I didn't want it on my leg or anything so it was either my back, or my neck...and I chose my neck." Jace laughed again. "What about the others? Any special meaning or reason you got them where you did?" Yes, but I'm not entirely sure I want to share them with you. I thought to myself. I decided that if I was going to do this I'd have to do it quick. "The ones on my wrists remind me to never let myself get to a bad place again and the one on my side is like my calling card," I said in one breath. "Was my calling card," I amended, reminding myself that I didn't need to be a part of that world anymore. Jace looked at me questioning my explanation, or rather, lack there of. I groaned and sat up, rubbing my wrists. "These ones cover the scars left over from when I would cut myself," I said slowly, looking at them, remembering the faint red lines that were now covered over with black ink. I felt Jace's worry behind me. "Before I learned how to sort of control my trouble, it was the only way for me to know what I was feeling and what the rest of the world was feeling. It also numbed the pain of hearing everyone all the time, hearing what they thought about me. But I finally realized one day that it wasn't worth it, so I forced myself to stop and I got these." I paused briefly wondering if I should go on, but then decided I might as well. "When I used to be a transporter and a…" I paused looking for the right word. "Call girl," I finally said. "No one smart uses their real name, or at least not their full name. It's too dangerous. And honestly, the guys just want to be able to give themselves cool names like they do in the movies. So I became 'La Maripossa Negra', the black butterfly. This," I said, lifting the left side of my shirt to show him the black tribal butterfly inked into my side. "was a way for people to know who I was. Kind of like Jack Sparrow's sparrow tattoo in The Pirates of the Caribbean." I don't know why I referenced that movie, but Jace seemed to understand. He slid over the bed behind me and placed a hand on the tattoo. He traced gentle kisses from my neck across to my shoulder and whispered, "They're your story and they make you who you are. I wouldn't change you for anything." God, if he kept saying things like this to me he wasn't going to have to wait long!

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. There was a text from Duke. Oh crap! Duke! I suddenly thought, realizing something. I turned so that I could look at Jace. "Duke has no idea about the significance of these tattoos, in fact I don't even think he knows about this one!" I said urgently pointing to the butterfly. "Whatever you do, DO NOT tell him! Promise?!" I said, sounding like a 15 year old who was sneaking out and had gotten caught by her younger brother. I could see in Jace's face that he meant what he said next, "I won't. Promise. But I think you should tell him. I think he'd probably have the same reaction as I did. He seems like a pretty cool guy." "No! He'd freak! He know's I'm screwed up, but he doesn't know about most of my past, and I'd like to keep it like that." I got up and made my way to the bathroom, intent on taking a shower before going out to the Rouge. "Would you like some company?" Jace asked. I smiled wrily to myself but turned and said, "I thought you told me we were taking things slow." He smiled that gorgeous, half sided smile and said, "Well I could just sit on the floor while you shower. That would be fairly slow." I laughed. There was slow and then there was slow. "Whatever," I said coyly, letting him make the decision. I heard his soft footsteps behind me, following me into the bathroom. I ran the hot water until it was almost scalding and began taking off my pjs. I heard the door close behind me and felt Jace's warm body behind me. I ignored him. I took my hair out of its braid, letting it flow down my back in waves. As I went to unhook my bra I felt rough hands stop mine. So he was actually going to join me in the shower after all? So much for slow! I smiled and pulled my hair over my shoulder so he could see my exposed back. He unhooked my bra and gently pushed the straps off my shoulders, letting it fall to the floor, while kissing my neck and shoulders. I pulled the shower curtain back and stepped into the shower, Jace following close behind.


	12. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

ROSE

I smiled down at my phone as I hopped in the car. Dwight had the day off so I was going to spend some time with him while Duke, Nathan and Audrey worked on a case. Thankfully he and Nathan had worked out a way for them to both pretty much be Chief of Police and it also gave them both sometime off during the week. I drove to the Gull and noticed the rental car that was Jace's parked in the parking spot where I usually parked when I was staying in the apartment. Hmmm...Mari must have had an overnight guest. I thought wickedly, giggling as I walked into the restaurant. It wasn't hard to find Dwight sitting down on at a table near the back, where we would have some privacy. I knew that Duke had taken the news about this whole muirn beartha dan thing fairly well, but then again it was Duke and he had seen a lot of strange things during his travels. Dwight on the other hand was a small town guy with an open mind, but it is still a hard thing to wrap your mind around.

I sat down in the seat across from him, startling him as he had been staring blankly out across the water. "Hey Dwight," I said softly, not sure exactly how to act. I could have just as easily read his mind and emotions, but at this moment it felt like that would have been more of an invasion of privacy than usual. He smiled brightly at me and looked into my eyes. "Hey beautiful," he whispered back, bringing my hand, which had been resting on the table, to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it. I smiled at him and squeezed his hand gently. "What are you drinking?" he asked and I quickly ordered a Diet Coke, with a new trouble running around I didn't want to risk having any alcohol in my system if I was called in. The conversation between us began to flow naturally and before we knew it we had finished our meals and were just sitting relaxing and talking. That's when I noticed Mari and Jace walking down the steps from the apartment, hand in hand. I nudged Dwight and pointed discreetly. "Looks like they worked through some of that apparent hate. I think he's been there all night," I whispered and he laughed. We watched as they got into Jace's car and drove away. Then Dwight turned to me and I saw the question in his eyes. "Want to go outside?" I asked softly and he nodded.

We relocated to the top level of the Gull, both of us leaning against the railing. "What's on your mind Dwight?" I asked and he looked at me in confusion. "Can't you just read my mind?" he asked and it seemed like he was only half joking. I nodded. "I could, but unlike Mari, I can turn it off. I can put up mental barriers and block it out whenever I choose. I don't want to invade your privacy. Your thoughts are your own," I replied softly. He nodded and finally turned to face me. "I don't know how to put my thoughts into words because part of me is skeptical and yet, another part of me wants to believe that all you've told me and all you feel is true and real," he replied. I nodded in understanding. "Trust me, I know it's hard to believe, but honestly. It's all true. I do truly love both you and Duke equally. You both compliment me mentally, emotionally and physically, just as you compliment each other. It's a strange arrangement, but I am hoping that it will be an arrangement that we will all come to accept and to love and to enjoy," I said, trying to explain to the best of my abilities. I felt a tear falling down my face at the idea that he might not want that, and while I would be supportive of whatever he decided. After a long moment of silence I turned away, hoping to keep the rest of my tears at bay. I refused to use my powers to feel the rejection that must be rolling off of him. "I understand if it's not what you want," I said softly and I made a move to head back down the stairs, when I felt a hand grab my arm gently and pull me back. I spun around and was caught between him and the railing to the balcony. "I never said it wasn't what I wanted," he whispered in my ear. I looked up into his eyes and saw his answer clear as day. He was accepting this. He was accepting us. I smiled brightly up at him and he smiled back, pulling me in closer to press a soft, tender kiss to my lips. I wrapped my arms tightly around him, pulling him as close as I could and deepening the kiss. When we finally pulled away, due to lack of oxygen he rested his forehead against mine and smiled. "Wow," he whispered. "If all of our kisses are like that...I don't think I'll ever stop kissing you." I smiled as he pressed his lips to mine again. This kiss held more passion and intensity and I was beginning to think that it was a good thing I still had the key to the apartment behind us when Dwight's phone started buzzing. We both pulled away growling at the phone as he pulled it out and answered it. "Chief Hendrickson," he said professionally, rolling his eyes at me. "Hey Duke...woah woah...slow down," he said urgently as he placed the phone on speaker. "There is a trouble, controlled by the dude down at that electronics store near the city limit and it's a countdown sort of thing where at the end of it the people turn to stone and it's got Nathan! We are headed there now he only has about 10 minutes. Can you meet us there? We think Jordan and Wade may be trying to beat us there…" Duke explained trailing off. "Yeah. Rose and I will meet you there immediately. We are leaving the Gull now," Dwight replied, all business. We quickly straightened our clothes and fixed my hair as we headed down the steps at a sprint.

When we reached the electronics store I was surprised to see Jace's rental car there as well. We quickly made our way inside and froze. Wade was bent over a body on the ground, his knife sticking out of the man's stomach. Mari was leaning against Jace, her hand covering her mouth in horror. Audrey and Nathan were staring in confusion and horror. Jordan looked terrified and Duke...there are no words to describe the sorrow that seemed to have etched itself into his face. It looked like he had aged 20 years in the hours it had been since I had seen him. He was watching Wade with concentration and when he stood up I understood why. There was blood on Wade's hand and it slowly absorbed itself into his skin. His eyes flashed silver and he smirked. He turned to leave and I couldn't help myself, I quickly threw myself in front of the door. "Wade wait! Don't walk out of here please-" I was cut off as he backhanded me across the face, sending me flying into some of the shelves nearby and exited the shop. Everyone else was frozen for a moment and I couldn't move. I glanced down at my stomach and realized why, there was a large piece of metal protruding.

I did my best to keep calm, but blood had begun to seep through my shirt and the numbness was fading and a burning sensation began to race through my entire body, centering around my stomach. I heard a ringing in my ears and i didn't realize at first that it was me screaming. Dwight and Duke were immediately by my side and Mari rushed to kneel next to my head. Audrey was calling the paramedics and helping the other man as Nathan began to go after Wade. Duke looked up, clearly conflicted. "Go,"I managed to whisper to him. "Catch Wade…" I said softly, before screaming as the pain hit me again. He nodded slowly and kissed my forehead. "Watch our girl," he said to Dwight, squeezing his hand and mine. Dwight nodded in assurance. "I will, go catch him," Dwight replied and Duke nodded. "I will." Then he was out the door and running towards his jeep. The paramedics pulled up and the world began to darken around the edges and I allowed my world to be taken over by it. The last thing I remember is both Dwight and Mari telling me that it was going to be okay and I believed them.

MARI

I sat in the hard lumpy chair with my head in my hands, both elbows supported by the arms of the chair. I could hear dozens of conversations around me, both out loud, and unheard and my head ached from all the noise. I hated hospitals. All the extreme emotions running rampant made me feel like I was losing my mind, but this was even worse. This time I was the one with the extreme rampant emotions and no amount of Rose's teachings were helping me to block anything out. I was vaguely aware of Jace's arm around me and of Dwight pacing back and forth a few feet in front of me. "Dwight, I know you're going insane right now. We all are, but please for the love of all that is holy, can you stop pacing and thinking about what happened?!" I snapped at him. He stopped for a brief second and glared at me, then he continued pacing. I heard a rough Fuck you! from his general direction. That's it! I thought and I stood up. "Where are you going?" Jace asked, looking worried. "I need coffee," I said briskly without looking at him and marched out of the waiting room.

I made my way down the corridor that led to the elevator. How did this happen? How could this have happened? I tried going over the whole thing again in my head. Duke had texted me earlier this morning about a guy who had some weird countdown trouble. He asked if I could keep an eye on Wade, which turned out to be Wade and Jordan because those two were suddenly very close, and to let him know what Wade was up too. I wasn't thrilled about being on babysitting duty, but I agreed and brought Jace along. We sat outside while Wade and Jordan were in the Gull and I could tell Wade was thrilled by Jordan. Jordan however, was there for only one reason. She wanted to activate Wade's trouble. Because that's just what this town needed, another Crocker curse, only this time I knew it would be bad. Wade wasn't like Duke. He craved attention and notoriety. If his curse was activated, he'd go mad with the power. I could see him becoming Haven's very own serial Vampire. Jace and I followed the two of them all day, finally ending up at the electronic store with the poor troubled guy. As we pulled up, I realized that Wade was there to activate his trouble, but strangely, Jordan was there to try and stop him. I ran inside just in time to watch Wade stab the poor guy. I felt terror go through me like I had been doused in ice water. I looked at Duke, but he already knew that somehow Wade had learned about "family heratige".

And then shit hit the fan. I saw it like it was in slow motion; Rose running for the door to block Wade, Wade flinging her across the room, and Rose, hitting the metal shelves hard. The next thing I knew I felt an onslaught of terror, horror, fear, disbelief, and anger. I saw Rose on the ground with a piece of the shelf sticking through her stomach. I ran to her to try and do...something! Anything! I felt anger rush through Duke and he ran off after Wade. I wanted to go with him, but I also wanted to stay with Rose. I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything for her, but I couldn't bring myself to leave. And then we were here, in the hospital. I was walking down the corridor that led to the cafeteria by now and I suddenly felt a wave of nausea hit me. What if something happened to Rose, what if...I leaned against the wall, spasms of tears washing over me. I felt my legs go out from under me and I sank against the wall, crying.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I grabbed it to see who was calling. I picked up quickly. "Jace? Is Rose ok? What happened?" I asked hurriedly. "She's out of surgery," Jace said on the other end of the phone. "But she's still out cold. She won't be awake for a while. Where are you? You've been gone for an hour and a half!" I could hear the worry in his voice and I could imagine that he was afraid I'd left the hospital to track Wade down and punch him. Good thing he doesn't know what I really want to do to Wade. "Sorry, I got….sidetracked,"I said trailing off. "Where are you? I'll come and find you," Jace said into the phone gently. "Almost to the cafeteria, but I'm fine, I'll come back to you." "No, the doctors said that Rose is going to be out for a while and visiting times are almost over. He's going to let Dwight stay. I think Dwight may have pulled some strings because he's the Chief, but we should go. You need some sleep." I sighed. Jace was right, but to be honest I didn't want to sleep right now. And if I was being really honest, I didn't want to be alone either. Not that I was alone with Jace, exactly, but I suddenly felt like a scared little kid, and wanted to find Duke. "Ok, why don't you head back to my place. I'll meet up with you there, but I should check on Duke first. Make sure he hasn't torn Wade to pieces," I said into my phone. Not that I'd stop him if he did I added mentally to myself. There was a pause on the other end of the phone and I knew that Jace was debating what I had said. "Ok," he finally said, having decided it was ok to let me go on my own. "Thanks," I said. "I'll be back in a bit and we can continue where we left off this morning!" I said hoping to lighten the mood. It worked. I could hear his smile. "See you at the apartment," he said and then hung up. I put my phone back in my pocket and slowly picked myself up off the floor. I took a deep breath before turning and walked out the sliding doors.

As I walked onto the docks, I did a mental check so that I wouldn't be surprised by what I found on the Rouge. I could feel Duke, but he wasn't on the boat. I decided that I'd wait on the Rouge for him to get back. I climbed the gangplank and as my feet hit the deck I felt a strange shift of emotion. Wade was here. I could feel him. I went downstairs to the kitchen, looking for Wade, when I heard a noise coming from the closet. Genius probably locked himself in, I thought to myself. "Duke is that you?" Wade called from behind the door. "No," I replied cooly, "It's Mari." "Oh Mari, Thank God! I seem to have locked myself in here. Would you mind letting me out?" he asked me. I felt a strange mix of pleasure and general sneakiness, but I figured it was just Wade being Wade. I knew Duke wanted to trust him, and even though the guy gave me the creeps, if Duke could do it, then why not me? "Yeah sure," I said and I went to unlock the door. As the door swung open Wade shoved out and threw me against the counter. "Please, I just need some more!" He said. He sounded like the druggies I knew when they were detoxing. I tried to fight him off but he was too strong. Surprising for a guy who'd grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth. "Just stay still…" he said and he grabbed a knife off of the counter and pressed it to my throat. No! No! No! This is not happening again! My mind raced and flashbacks of the night I killed Ethan ran through my head. I knew what I had to do, but a small part of me didn't want to do it. I pushed that voice down as far as I could, just as I heard footsteps on the stairs.

DUKE

I walked downstairs, intending to try and talk some sense into my brother when I heard the sounds of a fight coming from the kitchen. As I got to the bottom of the stairs I saw Wade pinning Mari to the counter, holding a knife at her throat. "Wade NO!" I shouted, hoping to distract him. I could already see beads of blood on Mari's neck and knew that she needed help. "Duke, stay there!" Wade shouted at me. I made to run for him, but Mari put her hand out. "Listen to him Duke! Look where the knife is! One wrong move and…" And I could lose more than one person I care about today I thought. I stopped moving and tried to figure out how to get out of this. "Wade please," I begged. "She's our sister!" I knew Mari hadn't wanted him to know, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Wade froze, looking down at Mari, his grasp on her and the knife slowly loosening and then Mari erupted into movement. She twisted out of his grasp, kneeing him in the groin in the process and bringing the knife with her. She stood with her back to me as Wade slowly got up from the floor. "I will kill you Wade. If this doesn't stop," she said softly and I knew she had read my mind. "You killed Jordan. You killed those innocent people, all to feed your blood lust!" she cried. "You hurt your brothers' soul mate! All because you can't control this thing. Let Duke teach you! Let us help you! Please!" she pleaded with him. I met his eyes over her head and saw, a split second too late, what he was going to do. He snarled and ran at Mari full speed. Mari, in what had to be a practiced moved, stepped to the side slightly, raised the knife and plunged it into Wade's heart.

"No!" I heard myself gasp. I looked at Mari half expecting her to be paralyzed in shock, but saw that she was looking down at Wade with hatred in her eyes. It was a deep hatred. One that went far beyond what I knew she felt for Wade. She took a deep breath to steady herself and stood up, pulling the knife with her, tossing it into the sink. She turned and without even looking at me, ran up the stairs. I stood there looking at Wade for a long minute, trying to process what happened, but then I ran upstairs, wanting to make sure Mari was ok. As I got up to the deck, I looked around and spotted Mari standing by the railing, looking out at the ocean. I ran over to her and put my hand on her shoulder. "Are you ok?" I asked her. "I'm fine," She said and from the sound of her voice she sounded like she wasn't lying. I looked at her long and hard, not for the first time, wishing I had the ability like her and Rose to read people's emotions and minds. "Mari, come on. Talk to me," I said softly. "That in there. That was more than just hatred for Wade. I mean, I know you don't like the guy, but seriously? You looked at him with so much hatred I'm surprised he didn't spontaneously combust!" I leaned on the railing next to her and waited, hoping she'd start talking. "I can't…" she finally said still staring out at the ocean. "You can. You know you can tell me anything, Mar. I've done so many things in my life that I am certainly not proud of...but they made me who I am today and so I wouldn't change them for the world. Please tell me…" "No, you don't understand!" she pleaded. "It's not the same! What you've done and what I've done! It's not the same." I could tell she was resisting, but something about the way she spoke, the way she looked, I felt like she wanted to tell me. "Mari...please talk to me…" I whispered finally, putting a finger under her chin and making her look at me. There were tears in her eyes and I could tell that she was uncomfortable being this vulnerable. She chewed her bottom lip for a moment then finally spoke. "That, back there," she said looking toward the door that led down to the kitchen. "That's not the first time…" she trailed off. "The first time you killed someone," I finished for her. I sucked in a deep breath at the thought of my little sister killing someone. "Tell me what happened?" I finally said softly. I was stunned when she finally broke down completely and sunk to the deck. I sat down next to her and rubbed her back instinctively.

She began talking while looking at the floor, still sobbing. "When I was 18 I met this guy, Ethan, on a job I was doing. I'd been hired to transport a package from London to Hong Kong, and he'd been hired by the head of a rival gang to steal the package from me. He didn't know that I could read minds so he had no idea that I was on to him. I let him follow me around until I was sure of what he was up to and then I confronted him. He convinced me to screw over our employers and get more money so we did. After that we started working together and eventually we started sleeping together. But…" she trailed off clearly hesitant to continue. I continued rubbing her back, hoping the feeling would calm her down. "But he wanted control too badly. He was...could be...cruel." She cut herself off with another onslaught of tears. I wanted to pull her close to me, but I knew if I did she'd stop talking so I just kept my hand on her back. I tried keeping my emotions and thoughts level, but it was hard. I had a feeling I knew where this story was going and I wanted to kill the kid. "We'd fight," she finally continued. "Like really fight. We'd throw things and beat each other. I let his anger fuel mine, which I know better than to do, but I couldn't help it! Then one night, after I had decided to leave him, he came and found me packing. He was furious! He threw me into the hallway and we started fighting again. He was going to kill me! I could hear it in his head! I tried to get away, but he just kept coming after me! Finally I was able to get to the kitchen and grabbed a knife off of the counter. He came at me and I just stabbed him. And I felt nothing. No pain, no grief, it was like stabbing him caused me to go completely numb! "

At that statement I couldn't keep my emotions in check. I grabbed her and pulled her into the tightest hug I could manage. Mari continued. "I kept the knife with me for years as a reminder to never let myself be fooled, but after I made the decision to come up here, I threw it into the Hudson, hoping I could put the past behind me." I felt tears falling down my face and I did nothing to control them. I felt anger and fear and relief rolling through me as I thought of what she had to go through. I felt Mari crying against my chest and I slowly rocked her. The grief and fear rolling off of her was so powerful that even I could feel it. "Mari, I want you listen to me okay?" I said softly and I waited until she nodded and I continued. "You did nothing wrong. In that situation or in this one. You were protecting yourself and no one can fault you for that. When I was 18 years old I got into a bad situation and ended up killing a guy to save my life. It ate at me inside for years and then one day I got this," I said pointing towards the tribal tattoo on my arm. "To help me move forward. It represented a time in my life that I wasn't necessarily proud of, but it makes me who I am. Every tattoo on my body means something and represents a part of my life, good or bad." I looked down at her, hoping she was understanding what I meant. "Do you understand sweetheart?" I asked her softly. Mari grimaced a little at the moniker and nodded. Then she proceeded to tell me the stories behind the tattoo on her neck and on her wrists. Then she paused and I looked down at her. "What's wrong?" I asked softly and she sighed before leaning away from me and slowly pulling up the side of her shirt to show me a tribal butterfly. That caused me to freeze. "Mari?" I asked softly, hoping and praying to every god available that I was wrong. "Please tell me that that is NOT what i think it is…" She looked down. "La Mariposa Negra?" I whispered as many miscellaneous puzzle pieces began to click into place. "Mari...oh gods Mari that was you?!" "Yeah," she said slowly not looking at me.

A million thoughts came crashing down on me at the same time. How many times had I heard about this mysterious woman everyone underground called "La Mariposa Negra"? So many whispers and stories about who she was, what she was. From what I had gathered over the years she was like a real life La Femme Nikita and trying to think of my sister as that was just wrong! Even though I had only known her a short while, thinking of her as sex and death rolled into one just seemed...wrong...somehow. And to top it off how many times had I wanted...I stopped myself from thinking about that any further as Mari cringed and turned away. "But why?" I managed to get out trying not to be sick. "It just sort of happened. You know what it's like! I needed a name and I couldn't use my own, not really anyway, and, I don't know, it just came to me!" I could tell she was just as embarrassed as I was at this point. I felt so many conflicting emotions that it was hard to figure out what I was thinking. I was angry that my sister was so broken and hurt, I was sad for the little girl that she used to be, but I was also proud of the woman she had become. I gently wrapped my arms around her and held her close again. "It's like I told you, the past makes you who you are Mari. The good and the bad. It's a part of your past now. I love you Mari. You're my sister and that will never change. I wasn't there to protect you as a child, but I will be there to protect you now. No matter what." I kissed the top of her head and just held her, content to hold her in my arms for the moment and hope that the insanity of the world could be put on hold for one minute. Then my phone started to ring. "Damn it…" I murmured.


	13. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

BOTH

Rose slowly became aware of a beeping sound near her ear and a warm weight wrapped around her hand and resting along her thigh. She slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by the dim light of a hospital room. She moved her head to look to her left and what she saw made her heart skip a beat. Dwight was laying with his arm under his head on top of her thigh and his right handle tangled with her left. He was breathing slowly and deeply, meaning he had been sleeping for a long while. Rose slowly tried to move her hand away from his to help her sit up, but not wake him up. Unfortunately he wasn't sleeping that deeply and as soon as her hand twitched he was up. "Rose?!" He asked in alarm and he looked around in concern before he finally realized what he was seeing. "Rose!" he whispered again. This time relief colored his voice as he kissed her hand softly and held it against his cheek. "Mmmm, hi…" she whispered and moved to sit up again. "Here let me help you!" he said and carefully set up the pillows so she could sit up. "Thanks. What happened?" she asked. Her memory was a little fuzzy after walking into the electronics store. "Wade was...activated and when you went to keep him from leaving the store he threw you into some shelves. One of them pierced your stomach. The doctor's said you were lucky it hadn't pierced any of your vertibrae or any vital organs. It was a clean entry with only a few small nicks here and there. You should heal up well." She nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm glad for that. How long was I out?" "Not long. You got out of surgery about 3 hours ago. I pulled a few strings and was allowed to stay here until you woke up. I think Nathan and Audrey, yes I know it's Audrey and not Lexie, are at Nathan's house trying to figure out how to continue fooling the Guard, Jace went back to Mari's place above the Gull and Mari went to find Duke, who went out looking for Wade." Again Rose nodded. Her brain was still a little foggy due to the pain medications she was on, which made it hard to concentrate on most anything. "Can you call Mari and Duke and let them know that I am okay at least...I think I am going to be falling asleep again soon…" she trailed off and slowly began to slip back into sleep. Dwight nodded and quickly picked up his phone, hitting number 2 on the speed dial.

On the Gull both Duke and Mari jumped as his phone rang and he leaned over to pick it up his phone without jostling Mari too badly. "Hey Dwight. Any news?" he asked softly as Mari slowly sat up. "Yeah, Rose woke up for a little bit, but they've got her on some pretty strong pain meds so she is out again. But the surgery went well and she's going to be okay. If you want to come by now they will let you in." Duke could detect the sound of hope in his voice and he couldn't deny there was no where else he really wanted to be, but Mari needed him right now and they had to get rid of Wade's...body. He took a deep, steadying breath as the realization that Wade was dead hit him once more. Mari placed and comforting hand on his arm and he gently kissed her forehead before responding, "No man, Mari and I will come by tomorrow morning. We have somethings to take care of regarding Wade," Duke responded carefully. He didn't want to get Dwight involved since he was the Police Chief. "Okay," Dwight said slowly, knowing that something must have happened with Wade. "Just stay safe, Duke. Neither one of us would be able to take it if something happened to you…" he said softly and Duke could hear the double meaning in his voice. It made his heart skip a beat to realize that Dwight had come to accept the relationship that was between the three of them. None of them were really sure what was going to happen, but it seemed like they were all finally on the same page and they were all willing to see where it would lead. "I will Dwight. Wade won't be hurting any of us ever again," he said cryptically, hoping that Dwight got his meaning. "As a police officer, I should tell you that he needs to be given due process, but as a man who almost lost another woman that he loves I'm glad to hear it. Give my love to Mari as well. We will see you in the morning," Dwight said as he hung up.

Duke hung up the phone and looked at Mari. "Rose woke up for a little bit, but the meds she is on knocked her back out pretty quick. She's going to be okay though." Mari nodded slowly. "Okay. Shall we go take care of our dear older brother?" Mari asked wryly, trying to pull a smile out of him and she succeeded. "Sure," he said as he got up and helped her up as well. "I know just the place to put him," he said as they walked back down to the state room.

Dwight looked back towards the bed and found Rose's eyes still somewhat open and he smiled at her. "You okay, honey?" he asked softly, running a finger along her cheek gently. She nodded slowly. "Yeah, but I'm worried about the nightmares. I always get them when I'm on pain meds," she said softly, tears forming in her eyes. Dwight gently leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek, catching a tear as it began to fall. "I'm here babe. Nothings going to hurt you. Ever," he said confidently and she pressed her cheek into his hand. "Will you lay with me?" she asked hesitantly, unsure if she was pushing things too far given he had only just accepted what was going on. He smiled brightly and nodded. She carefully shifted over, hissing slightly in pain as she pulled her stitches. Dwight carefully slid onto the bed next to her and she laid her head on his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her, holding her close and they slowly drifted off to sleep together.

ROSE

When I woke up I was warm and only slightly uncomfortable. There were still enough pain meds in my system to keep the pain at bay and my magick was doing it's part to speed the healing along. I slowly opened my eyes and found myself looking at the peaceful, sleeping face of Dwight. He looked so much younger as he lay there, no worries creasing his face, no troubles causing him to frown or worry. If only it could always stay that way. I gently ran a hand along his cheek, trying not to wake up, but his eyes immediately snapped open and his beautiful eyes were looking directly into mine. "Hey," he whispered, turning his head to gently kiss my palm as he brought his hand up to cover mine and hold it to his cheek. I smiled back, enjoying the feeling of his stubble tickling my palm. "Hey, what time is it?" I replied, my mouth felt like cotton balls so while Dwight moved to grab his phone I grabbed the cup of water sitting nearby. "It's about 10 AM," he said softly as he sat up and stretched his back. "Sorry. I know these beds aren't necessarily comfortable." He laughed in response and shook his head. "Rose, I just got to spend a night with you in my arms. It doesn't matter where we are, that to me is a damn near perfect night." I smiled up at him and he leaned down to gently kiss my lips. The only problem was I didn't want gentle. I wanted passion. I tried to pull him closer, but he stopped me. "You just had surgery Rose. I'm not taking any risks and I know Duke would agree with me-" "Know I would agree with you about what?" Duke asked as both him and Mari sauntered into the room. Mari quickly came to my side and wrapped me in a hug. Her barriers were up. She was getting better but she had always had trouble keeping me out so I instantly saw what had happened to Wade and I held her closer. Oh, sweetie I'm so sorry! But you did what you had to do to protect yourself I whispered into her mind. She nodded in understanding and pulled back as we watched Duke and Dwight embrace I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. They were embracing tightly as Duke quietly told him what had happened the night before and explained that he had found Jordan's body at Wade's dumping grounds. I could feel the sorrow sweeping through Dwight at the news of Jordan's death and it hit me as well. She was just beginning to turn over a new leaf and she deserved to have another shot at life. Dwight cleared his throat carefully and then continued his sentence. "I was saying that you would probably agree with me on the fact that Rose needs to rest given she just had surgery." I grimaced at the reminder and stuck my tongue out at him. Duke laughed and, after holding on to Dwight for a second longer, moved my side. "Better watch it or I'll bite that thing right off of you!" he whispered teasingly as he leaned down to kiss me gently. "Again with the gentle!" murmurred against his lips, reaching up to try and hold him down, but he pulled away. "Sorry baby, but I agree. You need to rest. Things are going crazy out there and we all need you at full health." He looked deep into my eyes and I saw that there was no argument that would sway him so I huffed and crossed my arms. "Fine, but you two owe me!" I replied petulantly. The both laughed and I glanced at Mari, who had a rare smile on her face as she watched her brother interact with Dwight. You should go home. Jace is probably worried sick about you I told her softly and she froze. "Oh shit! Jace! I totally forgot!" Mari yelled suddenly and we all stared at her for a moment in confusion. "I sent him back to my apartment while I went looking for Duke! I was going to meet him there and then everything happened and...damn it! Duke can I borrow your jeep? I will leave at the Gull, I just REALLY need to get there!" If it weren't for the serious panic that was rolling off of Mari I probably would have laughed at her expression. She was seriously worried that he had abandoned her because she had forgotten to call him. Apparently Duke realized this as well and, without any fuss, tossed her his keys. She kissed my cheek, then ran to give Dwight and Duke quick hugs and then she was out the door and down the hall, leaving all of us staring after her. "Well, that is Hurricane Mari!" I said finally and both men collapsed into laughter and agreed with me.

MARI

I smiled to myself as I ran down the hallway, hearing what Rose said as I left her room. I bolted passed the front desk, causing the poor receptionist to worry slightly that something might have gone wrong somewhere in the hospital. As I reached Duke's jeep I threw the driver's side door open, slammed the keys into the ignition, put the jeep in gear, and backed up all in about 5 seconds. My days racing down in L.A. were clearly coming in handy. I sped off toward the Gull, knowing I was breaking every single traffic law this town had and not caring a bit! I had to get to Jace. I had to make sure he knew I hadn't blown him off! I pulled into the parking lot of the Gull and jumped out of the jeep, barely remembering to turn the engine off and put the jeep in park. I raced up the stairs to the apartment and found Jace sitting peacefully on the railing, eating a bowl of cereal and looking out at the water. As I came up the stairs he turned his head and a huge smile crossed his lips. "I think you and I might have slightly different ideas of what 'I'll be there soon' means," he said in a mocking tone. I stopped where I was, not quite willing to accept that he was really this calm about the whole thing. "I'm so sorry Jace! I really did mean that I would be here soon I just….things went crazy and I completely forgot about you-" "Wow, things must have been exceptionally bad," he said seriously before adding, "I am hard to forget." I felt a wave of ease roll off of him, releasing my tension. I walked over to him and put my hand on his. "Did I mention I was sorry?" I asked sheepishly. He pulled me in for a hug, still sitting on the railing. "Yes you did," he said into my hair. "So what happened that caused you to become so disoriented that you forgot about me?" He asked. I sighed into his chest. "I...may or may not have...killed Wade…" I trailed off bracing myself for his reaction. He was silent for a minute and then said, "Well, the bastard did nearly kill your best friend. And he was a bit of a creep." "Is that your way of saying he deserved it?" I asked him, looking up into his face. "No," he said slowly. "That's my way of saying he probably had it coming to him." "Well that clarifies things," I said. Jace laughed. "I told Duke about my tattoos," I said. "And?" Jace asked, still holding me. "He pretty much reacted the way you thought he would...well, except for the butterfly." I could feel Jace's confusion. I suddenly saw my tattoo swim into his mind. He was trying to figure out why Duke had a problem with it. "He knew what it meant. He'd heard about my," I paused looking for the right word. "Reputation," I finally landed on. "La Mariposa Negra is well known in the world we used to run in." Jace sighed heavily before saying, "Oh, right. I forgot that he used to be a pirate." I laughed at the use of the word. It made me think of sword brandishing guys with wooden legs. "Wait," Jace said. "He never…" as he trailed off I saw the same image that I had seen in Duke's mind last night. I cringed and tried not to gag. "No!" I said forcefully, pushing away from Jace. "Get your mind out of the gutter Jace Herondale!" I pushed him hard enough that any normal guy would have fallen off and into the water below, but Jace just righted himself and lightly lept off the railing. I rolled my eyes at him. "Do you have to be so annoyingly, stunningly, perfect?" I asked him. He made a show of considering it for a moment, then said, "Yes." He came and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "How's Rose?" he asked. "Fine. A little high on pain meds, but fine. Doctors say she'll make a full recovery." He leaned down and kissed me lightly on the mouth. "Good. I'm glad." My stomach gurgled loudly and I realized I hadn't eaten anything since lunch the previous day. "Why don't we go inside, and I will make you some breakfast?" Jace asked. I let him walk inside and I shook my head, thinking about how normal my life was becoming.


	14. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

MARI

We were lying on my bed in the middle of a very serious make-out session. I was lying on my back with my arms around Jace's neck, my fingers tangled up in his hair. I was enjoying the feeling of his skin on mine as both our shirts were on the floor, somewhere by the kitchen, if I remembered correctly. Jace was on top of me, is hands running the length of my sides over and over again, occasionally coming up to my bra. I could see in his head that he was trying to take things slow, but he kept jumping to the shower from the other day, and seeing myself the way he had seen me was causing my heart to skip beats. I'd never known anyone to look at me that way, not just as a piece of meat, but as a person. Almost like a piece of art. It was gratifying, but also very odd. Jace suddenly moved his head so that he could kiss my jawline and I whimpered. "Don't worry," he said smiling. "I'll come back." I kept my hands in his hair as he began kissing down my neck to my collarbone. He paused here, waiting for me to tell him to stop. I gently pushed his head, telling him he could keep going. He kissed down in between my breasts, then kissed the skin just above my bra on each one. I moaned a little and he kept going. He trailed kisses down my stomach, his hands following close behind. Just as he got to the top of my jeans, he stopped and moved so that he was on top of me again. He kissed my lips forcefully, begging them for entrance. I granted it. "I told you I'd come back," he said between kisses. "Mhm…" I moaned. I couldn't quite form words at this point. His hands traveled around to my back and stopped at my bra clasp. "Can we lose this?" he asked. I arched my back slightly so that he could unhook the clasp. He did and I took it off, throwing it somewhere in the room. We both let out low, gutteral moans as skin touched skin. After a few more passion-filled kisses, he again started trailing them down my stomach. I whimpered again softly, not wanting to end the closeness. He smiled at me and I could see where he wanted to go. He kissed the skin just above my jeans and hooked his fingers under the waist. He looked up at me, asking permission, and I nodded. He unbuttoned my jeans and slowly pulled them down. When they were around my knees I kicked them off, letting them fall to the floor. Suddenly he was kissing my legs and slowly making his way up to my apex. I moaned louder, egging him on. The closer he got the wetter I got, and by the time he was at my apex I was barely holding on to my control. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss right between my thighs. Even though I was still wearing my underwear it was like a shot of fire went through me the minute I felt his lips. I wrapped my legs around his back and wriggled, trying to get as close to him as I could. He put his hands on my legs, and said, "Patience, love. All good things…" Gah! I didn't want to wait anymore! I was so tired of waiting! He kissed me again and again I squirmed. "Please!" I begged him. He got a devilish smile and ever so slowly hooked his fingers under the waist of my underwear. He pulled them down torcherously slow. Finally he got them off, but instead of going straight back to work, he suddenly was standing at the end of the bed. "What are you doing?" I asked him. He said nothing but just smiled his beautiful smile.

In his head I saw myself reflected back. But instead of seeing the reflection I was used to seeing in the mirror, I saw myself differently. My hair flowed out behind me the way it does in paintings. My skin, instead of looking pale, glowed in the afternoon light. My body had curves, instead of the usual straight lines. My face looked bright and was lightly flushed with color from all the activity. I was beautiful, and it suddenly occurred to me that this was how Jace saw me every single time he looked at me. I smiled, unable to help myself. I got up and slid to the end of the bed to meet him. By now he had taken off his pants and boxers and they were in a heap on the floor by his feet. I kneeled on the bed and reached out to touch his face, wanting to give him the gift that he had just given me. I took a deep breath, trying to focus, and then thought of him. I could see the shock on his face as he realized what was going on. "How...?" he asked confused. I kissed him lightly on his lips. "I can project thoughts too you know." I said quietly. "I wanted you to see you the way I see you." He smiled and wrapped his arms around me, bringing our bodies fully together. We both moaned and he kissed my lips hungrily. I wrapped my arms around his neck and we fell back into bed. I could feel him hard against my leg and shifted my hips, hoping he would get the message. He did. He pushed into me and we both moaned again. It had been so long since I'd been with anyone that I'd forgotten how good it felt! As we moved together I moved my hands to his back and scraped up his back with my nails. I was rewarded with a low animalistic growl from him. He began kissing my jawline and I tilted my head back so he could kiss my neck. I could feel the coil in the pit of my stomach start to tighten and I knew I was close. Thanks to my abilities I knew Jace was close too. He started to move faster inside me, and we both sounded like animals. Finally I felt the coil spring loose and I let myself fall into blissful oblivion. I lightly kissed Jace's forehead and he moved so that he was lying beside me. I let him wrap me up in his arms. "I love you," he said in my ear. "I love you too." I responded.

ROSE

I smiled as I padded silently into the bedroom of the Rouge and was met with a sight that would never get old. We had recently purchased a California King Bed that was wide enough and long enough to fit all three of us and still had room to spare and smack dab in the middle of it were Dwight and Duke curled up into each other. The space that HAD been between them was nonexistant. Dwight had an arm fling over Duke's hip and Dwight's arm had become the pillow for Duke's head. They were both sleeping peacefully and so I moved to quickly grab my cell phone to take a picture when I felt an arm wrap around my waist and pull me into bed. I let out a muffled scream and suddenly I was smooshed in between the two. I looked up into Dwight's eyes and smiled as he continued to be "asleep" while smiling widely and snuggling into me. I reached up and gently pulled him down for a soft kiss. I knew Duke would wake up in about an hour, so I was happy to lay here and enjoy my alone time with Dwight. He slowly responded to the kiss wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close, his tongue sweeping along my bottom lip, asking for entrance and I quickly granted it, tangling my tongue with his. We both moaned softly at the contact. It didn't matter how often we did this, every time felt just as electric as the first. We continued to languish in the feeling of our lips and bodies pressed together as we both felt Duke begin to wake up. Duke's hands wrapped around my hips and pulled me against him as he moved to fully pin me between both of them and attached his lips to my neck and shoulder, biting and sucking gently. "Mmmm...I will never get tired of waking up like this," Duke said softly, against my neck and Dwight pulled away, smirking. "Neither will I, although she almost caught a picture of us cuddling!" he replied in mock horror. I couldn't help but laugh at the horrified look on Duke's face. "The horror!" he whispered and bit my neck. "You know we said no pictures," he said as he pushed me onto my back and leaning over me. "You should be punished!" he said seriously and I stared up at him in anticipation. Of course what I didn't expect was the feeling of fingers on my ribs tickling me and I couldn't help the scream that rang from my throat as Duke pinned me down and Dwight tickled me endlessly. I was finally able to break free and I made a run for it, quickly slipping up the stairs and onto the deck, not caring that I was only wearing one of Dwight's shirts and a pair of panties. I moved as silently as possible towards some of the boxes that Duke had piled up in a corner, hoping that I had gotten away. Unfortunately, I realized how wrong I was when I was suddenly picked up off the ground and thrown over Duke's shoulder. "I found her!" he called as he brought his hand down on my butt in a light smack. "You shouldn't have run sweetheart! Now you're going to get it!" he said as he carried me back to bed and threw me into Dwight's waiting arms. Dwight wrapped his arms around me, latching onto the bottom of the shirt I was wearing and pulling it over my head as Duke hooked his fingers onto the sides of my panties and pulled them off. Suddenly I was laying bare in front of them and they were both just staring. I looked back and forth between the two of them, waiting for something. "Hello?" I asked softly, waving my hands in front of their faces. They both snapped out of it and smiled widely. "Sorry sweetheart it's just…" Duke trailed off, unsure of how to continue and Dwight immediately picked up on it. "You're so beautiful," he finished and I felt blush spread along my entire body. "Well I feel a little under dressed next to the two of you!" I replied, bringing their attention to the fact that they were both still wearing their pajamas. They smirked at each and quickly began removing each others clothes. They took their time, slowly running their hands along each others arms and stomachs and backs. It was like I had explained to them, while they may never legitimately have sex with each other, the physical attraction was going to be there and they could use it how ever they saw fit. Dwight pressed a light kiss to Duke's lips before quickly moving to lay next to me, pulling me into a deep kiss with one hand and resting another hand on my breast, gently massaging it. I could feel him growing hard against my thigh so I gently moved my hand to grasp him, causing him to gasp. Duke, meanwhile had moved so he was laying between my legs and had begun kissing along my inner thighs. I could feel the coil in my stomach begin to tighten as he got closer and closer to the apex of my thighs and I couldn't control the moans that fell from my mouth and were caught by Dwight. The coil got tighter and I reached down and pulled Duke up gently by his hair. Before I could move to kiss him though, Dwight had captured his mouth, tangling his tongue with Duke's and deepening the kiss. When he pulled away both men were gasping for air and I was staring at them in surprise and absolute awe. That had to be one of the hottest things I had ever seen. Dwight looked at me and smiled, "Sorry babe, I couldn't resist getting a taste." I stared open mouthed at him. What had happened to my soft spoken police chief? I was distracted from that train of thought by Duke kissing me roughly. I pulled away from Duke quickly breathing hard as I moaned in surprise and pleasure. While I had been distracted by Duke's masterful kissing techniques Dwight had quickly moved to position himself between my legs and quickly, but gently pressed into me. That feeling of being too full and not full enough rushed through me and I arched my hips into his trying to pull him deeper. Duke quickly kissed me hard again and I reached my hand down to quickly, but gently begin stroking him, enjoying the gasps and growls that were coming from both the men. I felt the coil tighten impossibly and then it snapped, sending both myself and Dwight over the edge. I stopped my movements on Duke as I tried to catch my breath. "Are you up for a bit more?" Duke asked softly, genuinely concerned. I smiled and nodded. "I'm always up for more with you two," I replied softly and Dwight quickly moved to lay next to me, holding me tightly as Duke took his place and genlty pushed into me. I was sensitive and still somewhat coming down off of the high from my first orgasm. "Oh gods...Rose…" Duke murmurred as he pushed all the way, hitching my legs around his hips before pulling back and plunging back in harder. I moaned louder and Dwights hand came up to massage my breasts again. Once again the coil began to tighten impossibly and then we were both crashing over the edge. Duke collapsed on the other side of me and I, once again, ended up smooshed between the loves of my life. I looked to each of them and smiled. "I love you Dwight," I whispered softly, kissing him and then I turned to Duke. "I love you Duke." I kissed him as well and began to drift off into a pleasant nap when I heard them both whisper, "I love you Rose." Then I heard something that made my heart soar. "I-I love you Duke," Dwight whispered and I felt Duke's breath catch. "I love you too Dwight." I felt Dwight press into my back as he leaned forward and I could hear them kiss gently before settling in on either side of me as we all drifted off into a post sex haze.

BOTH

Mari stepped onto the dock, quickly checking emotion levels to make sure she wasn't about to walk into something. As she neared the Rouge she could "hear" Rose, Dwight, and Duke eating. She looked into Duke's mind and saw that they were all sitting around the table, although she could tell they weren't all completely dressed. I'm about to walk onto the Rouge she sent to Rose, hoping she'd understand. Rose immediately looked up, over the paper she was reading, and glanced at the guys. "Umm...boys...as much as I love seeing you in this state of undress, Mari most certainly doesn't and she will be here in, oh say, 30 seconds…" Duke and Dwight glanced at each other before quickly jumping up and running for the bedroom, leaving Rose laughing at the table. Okay, you're clear, she called to Mari as she continued to eat. I see I'm not the only one who had a wonderful morning...Rose mentioned slyly as she caught snippets of Mari's morning running through her head. Don't even think about it. Literally. Mari sent to her. Rose giggled. Rose looked up as Mari walked down the stairs and into the state room. As she sat down next to Rose the boys walked back in, more dressed and clearly, to both women, thinking about earlier. Mari held up a hand grimacing. "Don't! Please?!" she begged and Rose laughed. "Gah! Duke you KNOW the rules!" Mari whined, wishing, yet again, for brain bleach. Duke smiled. "Sorry Mar," he said sheepishly. Slyly, Mari sent snippets of her afternoon with Jace to Duke. "Gah! Mari! What the hell?!" She looked at him satisfied. "Every time you do it to me, I do it to you. Just something to think about," she said cocking an eyebrow. Rose couldn't help but laugh. "I'm glad she's not sending them to me this time!" she quickly got up. "I'm going to go get dressed. Play nice children," she said laughing as she kissed both Duke and Dwight on the cheeks and headed into the bedroom. No more images please. I'd prefer to have my boyfriends mind somewhat in tact when I return she sent to Mari as she made a quick exit. Fine, Mari sent stopping the flow of images she had been sending to Duke. As Rose began to change she felt a wave dizziness hit her and she quickly sat down. Mari are you feeling this too? she asked. Yeah, that was weird. Are you ok? Mari sent from the table. I don't… the message cut off as Rose fell sideways on the bed, passed out. Mari stood up from the table abruptly and walked quickly to the bedroom door. "Mari?" Duke asked as she moved. "It's Rose," she said as she pushed the door open. Duke and Dwight stood up fast and practically ran the short distance to the bedroom. Rose was lying on the bed, unconscious. Mari sat next to her and checked her pulse. When Mari touched Rose's skin she was pulled into her head.

"Mari?" Rose called out in a panic, looking around the path she now stood on. She recognized this place. This was her home in Ireland. "Grandmother?" she called softly, hope coloring her voice as she took a brisk pace down the path towards a small cottage nearby. Her pace quickened when her magick began to tingle. It was always a sure sign that something was wrong. She knocked on the door softly. "Grandmama, I'm home! Morgan? Hunter? Moira? Where are you guys?" She asked as she moved through the hallway. Mari watched as Rose moved through the house. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. "Rose wait!" she called but it was too late. Rose was already through the door. Rose looked around in horror at her family. There was blood everywhere. The scent of blood permeated every corner of the room and the sound of Rose's horrified screams echoed against the walls. She fell to the ground next to her grandmother's body, gently turning her over and holding her in her arms, the blood staining her hands and clothing. She was crying in horrible gasping sobs and Mari wasn't sure what to do. She knelt next to Rose and, unsure if she could actually touch her or not, chose to speak instead. "Rose, this is a memory. This isn't-" she was cut off by loud footsteps and a woman coming in to view. "Well I'm glad this was worth something. I thought I had just eliminated another clan of Woodbayne's for no reason," a woman said, stepping out of the shadows. She was tall and blonde with some laugh lines along her eyes and mouth, but her eyes were cold and dark. "Lilith," Rose hissed. "Yes my little full blood. You recognize me of course," she said. "So did Morgan and Hunter and my traitor of a son Ian, right before they died!" she shouted, throwing a spell at Rose with deadly accuracy. Rose blocked it and threw up a quick shield spell. "Why?! Why would you do this?!" Rose asked, trying to keep her emotions and magick in check. Lilith laughed again. "Why my dear, because I need you. Your power will be a great asset to my coven. So join me, or join your precious family," she said with a smirk. Rose stared at her and everything happened in slow motion. Lillith produce an athame and quickly jabbed it forward. It would have hit Rose's heart if Mari hadn't pulled her out of the way at the last second.

Both Mari and Rose sat up with a jolt gasping. Rose looked down and cried out in pain. The athame may have missed her heart, but she was still bleeding like a stuck pig. "What the hell just happened?" she cried, as Mari quickly pressed a hand against her wound. Both Duke and Dwight were looking at each other in confusion. "I have NO idea…" they both whispered at the same time.


	15. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

MARI

"I don't know!" I practically yelled for what felt like the hundredth time. I was up on the deck of the Rouge with Duke who had been grilling me about what the hell had just happened. Dwight had rushed Rose to the hospital. "Come on Mari, you suddenly leave the table, say something is wrong with Rose, and then you touch her and you both go rigid, then she wakes up bleeding and you honestly expect me to believe you don't know what happened?" he asked panicked. I turned to see him looking at me, pleading with me to help him understand how and why his girlfriend was yet again in the hospital. I sighed. I wanted to help him, but I was just as confused as he was. But maybe…"Give me your hand," I said, holding out my own. "What?" he asked in complete confusion with a little bit of frustration thrown in. "Give me your hand," I said again, only this time more forcefully. "It's easier for me to project thoughts if I'm touching the person I'm trying to connect with. The other way takes too much energy and we don't have time for that so just give me your hand so I can show you what I saw!" I let him hear that I was just as frustrated and anxious and he was. He walked over to me and held out his hand. I took it, letting the warmth and roughness wash over me. I began sending him images from what I had seen in Rose's head, when Duke said we both went rigid. As he watched I began to explain. "It's a reoccuring nightmare for her. Her worst nightmare actually. But it's also a memory. I saw it a lot when we were living together. She doesn't know that I know. But something was off about it this time. It was like I could...feel something, the way Rose does, like I was somehow piggybacking on her magick somehow." I watched as Duke saw the woman raise the athame and plunged it toward Rose. I let his hand go. "That's where it ended," I said. "Maybe that woman found a way to hurt Rose through her dreams?" I started pacing back and forth on the deck, trying to come up with something, anything that made sense. I hated feeling this helpless. It made me edgy.

Suddenly Duke's phone rang, making us both jump. Duke answered it and I could hear Audrey on the other end. "Duke, there's some kind of sleep trouble effecting people in Haven. What ever you do don't go to sleep!" she said. A sleep trouble. Well at least it wasn't that woman from Rose's dream. But then why hadn't I been affected? I went over everything that had happened in my head, trying to fit the pieces together, but nothing was making sense. Grr. I knew what I had to do and I didn't like it. "Duke," I said grudgingly. "Can you think about everything that happened this morning? I'm trying to make the pieces fit but i'm missing something." Duke looked at me with one eyebrow raised. "Just do it," I said making a face. This was not going to be fun. Thankfully my brother knew how to edit, so I was spared most of the details. Still, that was way more of all three of them then I ever wanted or needed to see. As he continued on I paid particular attention to everything Rose either touched or was near. I saw her grab both boys, the chair, plates, cups, the newspaper, forks, but nothing jumped out at me. "Keep going," I told Duke and I saw myself walk into the kitchen. I watched, paying careful attention to what I touched and was near, seeing if anything overlapped. Then it hit me. "Wait, wait, go back!" I told Duke. He gave me a look that said "I'm not a DVR" but he "rewound" his thoughts, so to speak, and I watched as I lept up from the table. The only thing on that table that I didn't touch was the newspaper. Well, and Dwight but unless his trouble had changed in the last 24 hours, he wasn't the problem. "The newspaper…" I said quietly. "What?" Duke asked me. "The newspaper. It's the only thing I didn't touch downstairs, the only difference, it has to be! It's the only thing that makes sense!" Well, sort of, I amended to myself. "Duke did you or Dwight read the paper this morning?" I asked him quickly. "Yeah, I think we both did. Why?" I hurried up the gang plank as I shouted back, "You've got to call Dwight and tell him NOT to go to sleep! And don't you fall asleep on me either!" I ran to Jace's rental car, having borrowed it, and drove to the police station to meet Audrey and Nathan to try and help them figure this out.

Over the next few hours things went from bad to worse and Duke was even worse off than when I left him that morning. He had fallen asleep and ended up with a slashed arm and Dwight had accidentally fallen asleep and ended up with a bullet wound to the chest. He had been placed in the same hospital room as Rose and they were both going to make a full recovery, but we needed to find this troubled person right now. I was sitting with Audrey and Nathan discussing our possible options when I caught something in Nathan's head that made me spit out the coffee I was drinking. As Audrey went for a glass of water I turned to him and smiled evily, "Nathan Wuornos. You and the Naughty Teacher? Really?!" Nathan turned beat red and started coughing. "Don't worry," I said looking back at the direction Audrey had gone. "I won't tell her. That is, unless you want me too," I added cooley. He quickly ducked his head, turning even redder. "Did I miss something?" Audrey asked as she sat down and handed me a styrafome cup of water. "We need to talk to Vince and Dave," I said and stood up, motioning Audrey and Nathan to follow me.

We met Vince and Dave outside a cafe and told them that their paper was causing people's dreams to become reality. When asked if they had changed anything about this edition, they were adiment that they had done everything exactly the way they always did it. I tried to think of what else could be connected to the paper and suddenly it dawned on me. "Do you have a delivery map?" I asked Vince. "Sure, here you go." he said, handing me a map of Haven that had been color coded into five different blocks of color. I looked at the names and places in each block of color and noticed a pattern. I handed it to Audrey as I said, "It's not the paper." She looked at the map. "It's who's delivering it." she finished for me. She gave the map back to Vince and asked, "Who delivers the papers in this route? Is it always the same person?" "Yes," Vince said, and told us the delivery girls' name.

We raced through town, following the route on the map. "There!" Audrey shouted as she rounded the corner. We all piled out of the car and ran towards Carrie. She looked up as Audrey called her name. "Carrie, we need to talk to you," Audrey said, using the same voice she used when telling a troubled person that they were responsible for causing whatever the most recent slew of destruction and mayhem was in Haven."We think you're Troubled," Audrey started. "Oh I know," Carrie said cheerfully. "You know?" I asked her. If this girl was knowingly doing this to the people I cared about, she was about to get a beat down. "Yeah, every woman in my family has had this dream trouble going as far back as we can remember." I stepped closer to her, trying to keep my emotions in check. "You know? And you're letting innocent people get hurt?" I asked, a little too roughly. She looked at me the one might look at a lion that had suddenly decided to stalk you. "What?" she asked me, looking from me to Nathan to Audrey, hoping to get some clarification. Audrey put a hand on my shoulder to steady me. "Your trouble, it's causing people's dreams to become reality," she said calmly. "What? No, that's not possible," Carrie said, looking horrified. "Our troubles never affect anyone else, just us! That's how it's always been!" she cried. Audrey and Nathan looked at each other. "Maybe," Audrey started, "Maybe her trouble morphed somehow." She looked back at Carrie and maintained her calm attitude. "Carrie, is there a way to stop your trouble?" she asked. "Sure," Carrie said. "It's part of the legend. You can stop your dreams from hurting you by facing your fears." "Great," said Nathan. He was relieved that Rose wouldn't be haunted for the rest of her life. "So all we have to do is-" Carrie cut him off. "There's one problem. Almost everyone in my family that has tried to do it has died." Oh great! I thought to myself. So we will just never be able to sleep again. Fabulous! I threw my hands in the air in defeat and annoyance. "We need you to try," Audrey said calmly. Honestly, the way that girl maintained her calm is annoying! But it worked. Carrie allowed Audrey to take her back to Nathan's house so that she could try and end her trouble.

When we got to Nathan's house, Audrey took Carrie into the bedroom and had her lay down on the bed. "We will all be right here Carrie, we won't let anything happen to you" Audrey said. Carrie closed her eyes and began to fall into a lucid dream. As she dreamed, I watched her dream. She was running, afraid of the two guys that were following her. She suddenly stopped running and I saw that her feet were stuck in the ground, causing her to not be able to move. One of the guys hit her face. A bead of blood ran down her lip. She was fighting her dream, not wanting to face it. I suddenly got an idea. It hadn't worked before, but Rose's dream had been more intense, more personal. Carrie's dream was easier to pull her out of. I walked over to the bed and touched her, hoping that whatever had happened before would happen again. I got lucky. Suddenly I was in Carrie's mind and she could see me. More importantly she could hear me. "This is just a dream Carrie," I told her. "It's not real! You have to face them. Don't be afraid, I'm right here. Audrey is here. Nothing is going to happen to you. Take a breath. Think." As she took a breath I saw the wheels in her head click into place. "This isn't real" she said to herself. She looked up at the man who was throwing punches. "You aren't real! And I am not afraid of you!" There was a moment where nothing happened and then suddenly I was sitting on the bed again and Carrie was awake. "I did it!" she said excitedly. "Yes you did!" Audrey said and then gave her a hug. Audrey decided that they should take Carrie to the hospital to get her cuts and bruises checked out. As we walked into the living room to tell Nathan we found him asleep on the sofa, appearing to have a good dream. I rolled my eyes. "Looks like he's having a pretty good dream," Audrey said as we walked to the door. "You have no idea," I said as I pulled the door open.

When we got to the hospital I let Audrey take Carrie up to get checked out and I went to check on Dwight and Rose. I found Duke sitting in a chair in the room, a bandage wrapped around his arm. I walked over to him. "Are you ok?" I asked quietly, since Dwight and Rose were still out cold. "Yeah," he said. "Just a little cut, nothing serious." I hugged him. "I'm glad you're alright. But next time," I smacked him on the back of the head, "When I tell you not to do something, DON'T do it!" We smiled at each other and he pulled me onto his lap.

ROSE

I woke up to the every increasingly familiar beeping sound of a heart monitor and I couldn't help but groan. "The hospital again?" I growled as I looked around me. Mari and Duke were napping in one of the chairs nearby and if I had a camera I would have snapped a picture. Mari was curled up in his lap with her head tucked under his chin and his arms wrapped securely around her. If that wasn't a perfect example of brotherly love I don't know what is. I heard a soft camera sound and i turned to find Dwight in the hospital bed next to me taking a photo with his phone. "DWIGHT!" I shouted in horror, inadvertently causing both Mari and Duke to jump and Mari to clip Duke's chin with her head hard. "Ow! Damn it!" Mari exclaimed as she hit the floor. "What the-?" "Why the hell are you in the hospital?!" I cried as I struggled to untangle myself from all the wires attached to me. Duke was quickly at my side, holding me down. "Easy sweetheart. Take a deep breath. He is fine," he said slowly and Dwight nodded. "Honestly babe I'm fine. It was a sleeping trouble. But everyone is safe now. It's taken care of for the moment." I slowly calmed down as I assessed him magickly. "Okay. Give me a minute to collect myself and I can come heal you," I responded. Duke and Dwight's eyes bugged out for a minute and Mari and I laughed. "Apparently they haven't noticed that all our injuries seem to just disappear!" Mari said with her usual snark and I laughed. "Apparently," I said as I placed a hand over my stomach and, after reciting a brief spell and running my hand counter clockwise around the wound, the wound closed itself up and disappeared without a trace. "Ah! Much better!" I said happily and I carefully disconnected myself from all the wires. I then moved over to Dwight and did the same for him. "Lets go back to the Rouge. You two owe me breakfast and Mari, I want to know what the hell happened!" I said as I pulled on my clothes. Everyone nodded in agreement and we made our way out of the hospital, not even bothering to sign out. They knew us well enough to know that we would most likely be back soon.


	16. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

BOTH

Jace and Mari sat at the little kitchen table enjoying lunch when there was a knock at the door. Mari could hear the thoughts of both the people on the other side of the door. That was one good thing about her abilities. Instant "caller ID", so to speak. Mari sank low in her chair. She wasn't the biggest fan of the Teague brothers. They were a little too eccentric for her taste. "What?" Jace asked her, looking at her over the newspaper. "I can't believe you're reading that," Mari said as she debated getting the door. There was another knock, this time more urgent. "You fixed the dream trouble," Jace said simply as Mari got up from the table. "So why wouldn't I read the paper?" Mari huffed. She reached the door and opened it. "Mari, oh good you're home!" Vince said. "We were looking for Duke, Lexie, and Nathan." So why are you here? Mari thought to herself. "You wouldn't happen to know where they are?" Dave asked, pushing around his brother. "Duke's on the Rouge," Mari said, slightly unwilling to admit that the boys had actually made the right call coming here, since Audrey and Nathan were downstairs. She finally resigned herself to telling them. "And Nathan and Au-Lexie are downstairs. Why?" she asked curiously. Dave got very excited then. "We were reading this journal, written by an explorer who was staying with the Natives in this area during the winter of_. He wrote about the troubles and said that the Natives had a legend that talked about the Barn and what would happen if it was opened. They said that if it was, a great evil would be unleashed and then "What was once you're salvation is now your doom." Mari raised an eyebrow. "What the hell does that mean?" She asked to no one in particular. "We have no idea." Vince said. "It means," said a voice behind Mari, "that Audrey shooting Nathan is not an option anymore." Jace came to stand behind Mari, putting his hand on her shoulder. Both Teagues looked at him questioning. "Did you just say Audrey?" Vince asked. Mari felt a wave of annoyance wash over her. Why did Jace have to open his mouth? she thought. Jace's eyes bugged out as he realized what he had done. "Oops…" Jace said. Mari let out a annoyed sigh. "Well the cat's out of the bag now," she said. "We'd better go downstairs and tell-" Mari was cut off by the load crack of a gun going off downstairs.

Nathan had called in sick, thus ending what was going to be a nice day out on the Rouge for Rose, Duke and Dwight. So Duke and Rose had decided to head over to the Gull and get a head start on setting up for the lunch rush. As they pulled up they saw Jace and Mari, followed by the Teague's rushing down the stairs and into the restaurant. Rose and Duke looked at each other in confusion until they heard more gunshots. Then they were out of the car and sprinting towards the door, Duke stepped in front of Rose protectively as they slowly stepped through door, only to have both of them flung backwards as a large man dressed in black bolted through the door and into the surrounding woods. "What the hell is with people and pushing me around?" Rose grumbled as she slowly sat up. Mari came running over and helped her up as Duke slowly climbed to his feet. "What happened?" Duke asked her, quickly checking her over for bullet wounds. "I'm fine Duke," she said softly and then gestured for them to follow her into the Gull.

Inside Audrey and Nathan were huddled together in a tight embrace while Dave and Vince looked less than pleased. "It seems that, for once, you're selfish actions were actually a good thing," Vince was saying and Rose quirked an eyebrow. "What happened?" she asked and everyone turned to look at her. "What was once your salvation is now your doom," Nathan responded softly as he moved to pull Rose into a hug. She hugged him back slowly in confusion. Audrey was smiling widely behind him. "It means that killing Nathan, which was originally supposed to save Haven, would now cause it's destruction…" As those words sunk in Rose wrapped her arms around her cousin even tighter. The plan to kill Nathan had never sat well with her, not only because it was just horrible, but also because it meant losing the last of her family. "I was going to kill him," Audrey said softly, "but then that guy showed up and started coming after us…" Rose nodded in understanding. "Well it's a good thing," she said laughing softly. "I'm also glad I don't have to keep calling you Lexie…" Rose said as she moved to give Audrey a tight hug. The next few minutes were spent trying to figure out what the journal that Dave and Vince had found, but when it became obvious that they weren't going to figure out anything there they all agreed to meet up later at the Haven Herald and use the archives there. As they all started to make their way to the cars Mari looked down and realizes that she is still in her pajamas. "Uh guys? I will meet you there. I need to change!" Rose laughed. "I'll wait with her and we will meet you there," she said as she gave Duke a quick kiss. The boys reluctantly agreed and made their to the cars while the girls went upstairs. As they moved through the door they both felt a prick on their necks and then everything went black.

Mari woke up slowly. Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and her ears were ringing. Shit! she thought as she tried to move, knowing she wouldn't be able to. She was sitting in a chair, her legs bound to it by tight wire that was cutting into her bare legs. Her hands were tied together with the same wire, but she felt skin. She tried to turn her head to see Rose behind her, but she couldn't turn far enough. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was, but all she could see was that she was in some kind of warehouse. The walls and floor looked like they were cement, the windows were boarded up, and there were two doors, one at either end of the room. Rose she sent, hoping Rose was awake. She tried to grab her hands, which were also bound tightly. "Rose!" she said aloud. She could feel Rose twitch her hands behind her as she woke up. Rose slowly shook her pounding head and looked around her. "Mari?" she said softly, her mouth felt like there were cotton balls coating it. "What happened?" she asked the other woman as she too began to asses their predicament. She started tugging at the wires holding her arms and legs, but only succeeded in moving the chairs that they were attached to. "We've been kidnapped," Mari said grudgingly. "Either that, or things have taken a really weird turn in your's and Duke's and Dwight's relationship," she said, trying to get Rose to laugh. "Stop moving. You'll only cut yourself," she said calmly, trying to calm Rose down. This wasn't the first time Mari had been in this situation. Rose stopped moving and looked around the room. "Have you seen anybody? Or are we alone?" she asked as she took note of a pair of wire cutters laying nearby. She sent the image to Mari. "If we can get them, we might be able to cut-" she was cut off by the sound of footsteps coming their way. Rose tensed up and gripped Mari's hand tightly through the wires.

The large man from earlier at the Gull entered the room followed by a short man with beady eyes and a hooked nose. "What do you want?" Rose asked, her voice taking on a professional tone. She may not have ever been kidnapped before, but she was one of the best Criminal Psychologists in the world. She could hold her own against these thugs. The short man just smirked at her as he took a seat in one of the nearby chairs. "Oh I don't want anything. My employers on the other hand. They want you. You're little friend here is just collateral damage." Rose felt her breath stutter as she realized the implications. "So Lillith has finally found me?" she finally asked. Her voice sounded broken, even in her own ears. The man smiled widely. "Oh not just her Dearie. She has a few new friends that she's brought along for the ride. My employer being one of them," he smiled gleefully. "Although I can't help but be excited to see what a Dark Wave looks like. I've heard the stories, of course, but I've never seen one in person." Rose paled in horror. "No," she whispered softly, all the fight leaving her body. "Hey Jackass!" Mari said from her chair. "I don't see anyone else here so why don't you pick on someone your own size?" The small man raised an eyebrow at her and smiled an evil smile. "But why, when I have him to pick on you for me?" he said, indicating the big man standing behind him. Great, Mari thought as the big guy stepped forward. It's going to be just like Singapore. She steeled herself against the chair. The big man's fist connected with her jaw, snapping her head to the right. She could taste the metal tang in her mouth and she spit out blood. "That all you got?" she asked. "For a guy your size I would have expected more." Crack! He hit her again and she felt her cheek bones vibrate dangerously. "Again, I'm a little let down," she said, trying to keep her voice even. "I expected so much more from you." She let disappointment color her voice. The big guy glared at her and sent a hard punch straight to her gut. Mari doubled over as much as her body would allow in the chair. She felt blood dripping down her legs and wrists from the wires. She was in pain, but as long as these thugs were distracted from Rose, she'd keep egging them on.

Suddenly the chair broke from the power of one of the blows and Mari saw her chance. She quickly pulled out her phone and hit speed dial, hoping that Jace answered. Then, while the men were distracted she tossed it into a corner and surrendered. She was then tied down to a stronger chair, but she kept talking, trying to give Jace clues as to where they were. She tried to reach for Roses mind, but it was a blank slate. Almost as if she was brain dead, but there was one word that kept repeating, Dark Wave. "So tell me, since I'm new to this whole 'magick' thing," Mari said, turning her attention to the small guy. "What exactly is a 'Dark Wave', cause I'm going to be honest, it sounds like something to scare kids, and I for one, haven't been afraid of the dark since I was five." Rose finally spoke then, but her voice was in monotone. "A Dark Wave is exactly what it sounds like. A wave of dark energy. It is virtually unstoppable once it's created because it is created to kill one specific person or group of people. Once it completes its task it disappears. Think of that one episode of Once Upon a Time we watched where they showed Pan's Shadow ripping a shadow away from someone? That's like what it does. But instead of leaving their body it gathers it and turns it into Dark Energy. It's a horrible thing to witness. It takes an incredibly dark witch to conjure such a thing. And if it's coming for me...it will obliterate all of Haven in the process…" Mari felt herself go stiff, but again she tried to keep her voice light. "Still just sounds like stories to me." She had finally done it. The little guy leaped up in anger and frustration. "It's not a story!" he yelled at Mari, smacking her across the face. "I think we've done enough for now." The little guy said, calming down. "We should leave them here to fret about this poor, pathetic town and go check on the other one." He motioned for the big guy to follow him and they both left the room. "It's not a story…" Rose said softly. She sent Mari images of the Dark Wave that she had faced with Morgan and Moira a few years before and the devastation it caused. "I know," Mari said quietly. "I could tell by the way you talked about it. I just wanted to get them out of here." she said. As she spoke, she pushed against the wires with her legs and hands. She winced in pain as they cut into her skin. "Mari, stop. You're only making it worse," Rose whispered. She gently touched the edge of the wires holding Mari and quietly began whispering a spell. Slowly the wires began to loosen around her wrists. "I've only got enough magick to loosen them. Mine have something that's surpressing my magick. Get out of here. Get everyone out of Haven and run!" she whispered urgently. "If Lillith is here and she is sending a Dark Wave I won't let her or it kill anyone I love." Mari pushed against the wires and this time they began to fall away. "Not a chance!" she said as she got up from the chair. She grabbed the wire cutters and cut the wires binding Rose. "I'm supposed to be the self-depricating one, remember?" she said smiling. "You are supposed to be the cheerful, 'anything's possible' one. And besides, I'm not letting some stupid shadow thing kill my one and only friend." Rose looked up in surprise. "Mari you don't understand! I can't stop this thing. The last time I faced one there were three of us at full strength and a full coven aiding us. I don't have that kind of power!" She was getting hysterical now, which is probably why they didn't hear the footsteps or the door opening until it was too late. "Well, well, well. It looks like you two are more resourceful than I gave you credit for…" The smaller man said and he nodded his head and the big guy started heading their way.

Then the second door suddenly flew open and in rushed Dwight, Nathan and Audrey, guns drawn. Once the men were apprehended Jace and Duke stepped into the room as well. Dwight and Nathan immediately moved to Rose and Duke pulled Mari to him in a tight hug. Mari winced as the cuts on her wrists and legs shot pain through her. "Are you okay?" Duke asked her softly as Jace gently ran his hands along her injuries, doing his best not to cause her any pain. "Yeah, it looks worse than it is" Mari said trying to sound carefree but her wince as Jace touched her wrists at the same time Duke touched the growing bruise on her cheek gave away. Both men looked at her seriously. "Seriously I'll be fine, Rose is the one that needs help." she said. Duke glanced over at Rose who was just staring at the floor even though Dwight and Nathan were trying to talk to her. Audrey, who had just finished handcuffing the two men, suddenly froze as the clank of chains was heard. "Is there someone else here?" Mari shrugged. "I'm not sure. Until about ten seconds before you guys showed up we were pretty well tied up." Audrey glanced at Nathan and Dwight who nodded in agreement and followed the sounds of the chains into a room nearby. There was a gasp and then they were exiting the room with a man named William.

As they left the warehouse, Mari moved to Rose, grabbing her hand. "Whatever this is, you won't be facing it alone." She pulled Rose into a tight hug. Rose smiled softly and returned the hug, but kept her mind mostly shielded. She had a plan. They returned to the police station and the group split up to interrogate the two men. Audrey stayed with William in her shared office with Nathan, while Dwight went to talk to the shorter of the two men and Nathan went to talk to the bigger one. Mari and Jace were sitting at one of the nearby tables, Jace bandaging her wounds. Duke was gently cleaning the deeper cuts on Rose's wrists. "Talk to me sweetheart," he said softly and Rose just smiled. "You know I love you right?" she said softly and he nodded, frowning. "I'm going to have to leave Haven. Like I mentioned months ago. According to these men Lillith is HERE and she is sending a Dark Wave after me. It will wipe Haven off the map and take all the people with it. If I leave now, it won't even touch it. It will follow me, until I can find a way to destroy it." She was crying now and Duke was in shock. She quickly got up and was about to walk away when she was confronted with Nathan holding a gun. Now that in itself wasn't weird. It was the fact that he was pointing it at Audrey that was disconcerting. "Nathan what are you doing?" Rose asked him slowly. Jace had moved to stand protectively in front of Mari and had placed a hand on the hilt of his knife. Dwight was watching him cautiously and had a hand on his taser. "She is using me! If she isn't with me she can't be with anyone!" Nathan was shouting. Rose looked at Audrey in confusion and she shrugged her shoulders. Slowly, while Nathan was ranting, Rose moved forward and, just as she grabbed his gun from him, Dwight shot the taser and caught him in the back, sending him to the floor. They quickly handcuffed him to the chair and stood back. "What the hell just happened?!" Rose asked in concern.

MARI

As I watched Nathan hit the ground, I heard a strange buzzing sound in my ears and my head felt fuzzy. I shook my head trying to clear it. "That won't help" came a voice to my left. I looked at Jace. "You know the voices won't go away. You know you're a freak." He said smiling. "What?" I asked him, not believing my ears. "You are a freak," he said enunciating each word. What was going on? This wasn't like him! Where was this coming from? "You know the only reason I'm still here is because the sex is amazing," he said. "I don't actually care about you. You're just a really hot piece of ass and with all of your experience, well…" he trailed off. I shook my head. This isn't happening! This can't be happening! I stood, gingerly since my legs were still in pain and started backing away from Jace. "You are a sad, pathetic, broken little butterfly," he said following me. "You aren't worth my time." I continued to back up, tears biting the edges of my eyes. No! This wasn't happening! This is some sort of trouble! It has to be! I scanned Jace's emotions and froze. I felt nothing but indifference. He really didn't care! My breath caught in my throat. I suddenly came into contact with something and spun around. I had run into Duke, not paying attention to where I was going. I threw my arms around him wanting to block out the things Jace was saying. I felt him freeze. I looked up at him. He was staring at me like he had no idea who I was. "What are you doing?" He asked. I abruptly let go, backing away. "I...I thought...Jace was saying these awful things and I just…" I stammered. He looked at me and then looked at Jace. "And?" he asked. "Why would I care?" I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I unwillingly scanned him and felt the same thing I had felt from Jace. "No…" I said. "Mari, I think you should leave Haven." Duke said. "I don't want you here. I never wanted you here. I don't have room for a broken little girl in my life. You are not my sister. You couldn't possibly be my sister. My sister wouldn't be as screwed up as you!" He said walking away from me. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Yes you can, said a voice in my head. You know it's the truth. You've known all along that you aren't worth anything, that they don't want you here. They've all been lying to you. All they want is for you to go away. No one could want you. I turned and heard the thoughts of everyone in the station. They were all looking at me, and thinking "Why is she here?", "She needs to leave", "Doesn't she know she's not welcome here?" At that I ran out of the police station, ignoring the throbbing pain in my legs. I had no idea where I was going, but I knew I had to get out of there. I ran until I couldn't run anymore and collapsed on the ground, letting my sobs overtake me.

ROSE

I watched in confusion as Mari bolted out of the Police Station sobbing. "Okay so something weird is really going on on here…" I started as Jace began to look at all of us with a strange expression. "Jace? What's wrong," I asked slowly, moving towards him, but jumping back as he pulled his knife out and pointed it at me. "Woah! Jace! Calm down!" "NO! I love her! You can't take her from me!" he shouted at me. I looked around in confusion. "What are you talking about Jace? Take away who?" He never got a chance to answer as Dwight clocked him over the head with a nearby book and knocked him out. He was quickly handcuffed to the table with Nathan and we all sighed in relief. "Wait...where's William?" I asked in concern. "I'm here!" he said as he came out from Audrey and Nathan's office. "I know what's causing this. We need to find this," he said as he handed me a drawing of a box. I passed the drawing to Audrey and kept an eye on him. "Any idea where I can find it?" she asked and he nodded. "I think they might be up on that hill we saw nearby. It's a good area with full view of the town." The way he said it made me nervous, but my worry for Mari overwhelmed anything else so, while Dwight and Duke stayed to watch the guys, Audrey, William and I went towards the hill.

As we climbed the hill I fell behind a little bit, as a feeling of power enveloped me. There was someone else here. "Audrey…" I said slowly, unsure about what was happening, but she was already too far away to hear me. I picked up my pace keeping my senses on high alert when, out of nowhere, I was frozen. Literally, I couldn't move my arms or my legs or my head. My eyes could still blink, but my mouth was unable to open or close. What the hell was going on? A laugh floated over me and I felt my insides grow cold as fear flowed through me. "Hello, Rose." Audrey and William were standing a little ways away having what seemed to be a very deep discussion and I hoped that she would stay distracted for a minute. "Looks like I have you right where I want you," Lillith said as she finally came into my field of vision. "But where's the fun in that?" she said as she dragged a fingernail along my cheek. I winced in my head and slowly starting building the spell to break hers. She continued talking, but I did my best to tune her out, until suddenly I heard Audrey yelling and my eyes snapped open. "Ah yes, your little friend. Apparently William has some vested interest in her...I don't know why. She's rather plain. But apparently she was once one of us and a pure blood at that. She used to be so evil," Lillith said, grinning happily. "Anyway I will get to the point. I will give you a chance to give yourself up and still be able to say goodbye to those two delicious men of yours. Be here, in this exact same spot in one week, ready to either join me, or give your powers to me...or I will create a Dark Wave to annihilate you and your precious little town," she snarled and I couldn't hold in the shudder at the mention of the Wave and then the world faded to white.

I woke up to Duke leaning over me. "Hey, what happened?" he asked softly as he helped me sit up and I felt the tears begin to form as I told him, "Lillith really is here. I saw her. I have one week to say my goodbyes and then return here and either join her dark coven or be prepared to relinquish my powers to her." Dwight wrapped his arm around my waist. "Why not just give her your power? It's not like it would change how much we love you…" He began but I shook my head. "To relinquish my powers is to relinquish my life." Both men paused and finally Duke said, "In other words you die…" I nodded and looked around slowly, seeing Nathan and Audrey making their way towards us. "Where's Mari?"


	17. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

ROSE

For the next few hours we all split up looking for Mari. Haven wasn't that big so it should have been a simple thing, but Mari knew how to hide and when she didn't want to be found, you wouldn't find her. Finally, after searching the Rouge from stem to stern I sat down on the couch and called Duke. "Hey Babe," He said as he answered the phone. "I just pulled up to the Gull. I'm hoping maybe she's in her apartment because she hasn't been anywhere I've looked thus far." I nodded. "Okay. I just finished searching the boat and she's not here," I responded. "Are you alone?" He asked, concern coloring his voice. "Not anymore. Dwight just got here," I said as I heard him walk down the steps to the stateroom. "Okay-" he cut off suddenly and blew out a shuddering breath. "I found her," he said softly. "She's in a bad way. I don't know what that Paranoia thing did to her, but she looks like it tore out her heart. I'll call you later. I love you…" He quickly hung up and I sighed as I put my phone away. I smiled slightly up at Dwight. "He found her...but he might not be home tonight…" I said slowly as he sat down next to me and pulled me into his lap. "So that's one worry off your shoulders. Now how are we going to deal with Lillith?" Dwight asked softly and I sighed and dropped my head back against his chest. "WE are not. I am going to deal with her. I'm not letting anyone else get hurt because of me," Dwight opened his mouth to protest and I held up a hand. "No one here has magick other than me. So...I'm going to call the one person nearby that does. " He looked at me confused. "Who?" he asked softly and I smiled. "Magnus Bane."

MARI

I sat curled up in one of the chairs on the dock at the Gull and looked at the water. Even though I knew that everything I had heard back at the Police Station hadn't been real, it still felt real. I didn't really remember walking back to the Gull. It was all a blur and I felt myself closing off, building up my walls, and accepting the fact that I was once again completely alone. I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't bring my walls down again. No one was getting passed them this time. I was done trying to fit myself into their lives. I barely noticed the footsteps and cautious vibes that were coming towards me.

"Mari?" asked a quiet voice behind me. I didn't bother to turn. I didn't care what Duke had to say, nothing was going to change. "Mari, please…" he begged softly. "I don't know what it is you may have heard in the police station, but it wasn't real. It was a trouble. It was a paranoia trouble that William and his henchmen released," he tried to explain, moving cautiously closer. "I know," I said quietly. I still wasn't looking at him. "You know?" he asked as he slowly sat down next to me. "And you're still sitting here hiding?" I looked down at my hands. "It made me realize I have to go," I said. "I've been here too long." He looked over at me in shock. "What are you talking about?!" he almost shouted. "You can't leave. Seriously. You can't. We want you here. I want you here. Jace wants you here. Rose needs you right now. She needs her best friend!" He tried to reason. I shook my head slowly. "And what about what I want?" I asked calmly, trying to push him away. I wasn't going to let him break down my walls this time. I had let myself get complacent and I wasn't going to make that mistake again. No matter how much I want too. I pushed that thought back and slammed a door on it. "I don't belong here Duke, we both know that. Coming here was a mistake." You, Jace, Rose, you're all better off without me, I thought to myself. "No don't you dare start that. We all need you and you need us! Trust me when I say I know what it's like to think that you need to close yourself off. I've lived that life and it sucks. You regret every moment you could have had but didn't because you closed yourself off. You regret every chance you had for a family but didn't and more importantly you regret every person that could have been a friend or more but wasn't. Honestly I can't stop you, but understand me when I say that if you leave here, if you leave me and Jace and most importantly, Rose, you will regret it every day you live." I could feel him looking at me. Without consciously realizing what I was doing I looked at him. We stared at each other for a long time and even though I fought it, I could feel my walls retreating. In a last ditch effort I stood up, intending to go back upstairs and pack, hoping he wouldn't follow me. "I can't do this," I said. "Yes you can," he said and pulled me back into a hug. He wrapped his arms around me and I felt what was left of my walls crumble completely. I shivered, as if I was shivering at the sudden chill they left. He moved to sit us both in the chair that I had vacated, me on his lap. I put my head on his shoulder, suddenly feeling like a small child curled up and looking for comfort. He had his left arm wrapped around my back and his right was tangled in left hand. "It'll be okay Mari. I know things can get hard and feel overwhelming, but you're not alone anymore sweetheart. You've got me. No matter what." He kissed my forehead lightly and I felt a sudden wave of contentment, but this time I knew it was my own. I'm never letting this go...he thought and I felt my breath catch in my throat. I always wanted a baby sister and now here she is. She isn't a little girl, but she still needs me...I'm never going to let her go through life without me again. I gasped softly at his thought and held on to him tighter, finally letting the tears fall down my face.

I woke up several hours later to Duke rubbing my back. "Mari, I think you should go talk to Jace," he said quietly. "Hm?" I asked sleepily. Duke nodded his head in the general direction of the apartment. I saw lights on and felt Jace pacing back and forth, worrying about me. "Oh," I said. "He was affected by the paranoia too, and what ever he saw really freaked him out. He pulled his knife on Rose." Duke said. "What?!" I asked in alarm. What on earth could have freaked him out so badly that he would have pulled a knife. But he is a demon fighter, I thought. And given what I had seen and heard, he could have seen any number of horrible things. I unwillingly disentangled myself from Duke, wincing slightly as I stood up. My legs had been in the same position for so long, they had fallen asleep and the sudden rush of blood caused the cuts to burn slightly. "Ouch!" I said. Duke put a hand out to steady me as he said, "Are you ok?" "Yeah, I'll be fine. I've had worse," I said. Duke only shook his head, trying hard not to think of what "worse" could mean. "You should go be with Rose," I said, even though I wanted him to stay. "You sure?" he asked, almost as if he could feel my hesitation. I took a deep breath. "Yeah. This could take a while." I said, pointing to the apartment. "Yeah," Duke said. We walked up the dock, Duke's arm around my shoulders. When we reached the stairs leading to the apartment he turned and pulled me in for a deep hug. "I love you," he said in my ear. "I know," I said, quoting Han Solo from Star Wars. We both smiled and Duke rolled his eyes. As he turned to go to his jeep, I turned my attentions to Jace and the apartment.

The minute I walked into the apartment I was assaulted by Jace, who had run over to me and pulled me into the tightest hug he could manage. "I'm so glad you're alright!" he said, still hugging me close. "I'm fine," I said gasping for air. "Losing consciousness, but fine!" Jace went rigid for a split second as what I said sunk in. "Oh," he said and suddenly let go of me. I fell forward slightly at the sudden space between us. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "It's ok." I said grabbing his hand. I led him over to the bed and we sat down. "Whatever you saw in the paranoia must have been pretty bad huh?" I said as we sat down. He didn't say anything, but he put his hand gently on the bruises on my face and then the cuts on my legs. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. I stared at him in confusion. "Why?" I asked him. Before he could answer, a thought went through his head before he could stop it. To love is to destroy. He thought he had caused this. He held himself responsible. I saw myself, broken and bloodied, lying on the station floor. I heard my voice, blaming him for it. I sucked in air, not quite believing what I was seeing. That must have been what he saw at the station. I realized. We really were two of a kind, Jace and I. I put my hand on his face and guided it so that I could look him in the eyes. "Jace, listen to me." I said in the most soothing voice I could manage. "You didn't do this, you aren't responsible! Whoever taught you that, they're wrong! I used to think that too, but...someone recently told me that a life lived believing that is a life full of regret." I smiled, thinking about what Duke would say if he knew I was quoting him. Jace looked at me with sorrow and pain in his eyes. "I did this to myself," I continued. "It had nothing to do with you." I could feel the disbelief in his mind and I knew I had to go all the way, just like Duke did with me. "When you first met me, I was broken, falling apart at the seams, trying everything I could to keep everyone out. Especially you. But you pushed and you kept pushing and when I finally let you in, it was like…" I paused looking for the right words. "It was like you had found a piece of my heart that had been missing and you gave it back to me." A small part of me scoffed at how romantic I was being. "You get me, in a way that no one else has! When I'm with you, it doesn't matter that I can hear what you are thinking or feeling what you are feeling because I know I'm safe with you! You are making me whole again Jace, not breaking me apart!" I pulled his face to mine and kissed him gently. I could feel him start to give in and I knew that he had heard me.

ROSE

I sat on the couch between Duke and Dwight staring at my phone for a long moment. I really didn't want to call him again, but this was dire. Lillith was here and she was threatening my family. I took a deep breath and grabbed my phone and slowly dialed the number, putting it on speaker phone so the boys could hear the conversation. It rang twice before a low pitch, slightly accented voice answered, "Ahh the lovely flower has come a calling, good evening my darling Rose!" I smiled slightly at his greeting and watched my boys frowning. "Good evening Magnus, how are you my friend?" I asked kindly. "I am doing well. Alec has just stepped out to get some food so I am at your leisure. What can I do for you? I trust you got my message?" I sighed. "Yes, I did. Unfortunately I got it too late." There was silence on the other end of the line. "I can be there in 5 hours. Rose...you know what this means…" I sighed and nodded. "I know darling. I know exactly what this means. I will see you in...5 hours...are you sure? That's not a lot of time to prepare…" "Come now D'ardaigh, you know me. I've been prepared since you called me all those months ago." I laughed softly. "Okay Magnus. I will see you in a few hours. Come to the Gray Gull. I will be waiting for you there." "Will do. Until later Rose." I sighed and hung up the phone. "Okay what was that about?" Duke asked once I set the phone down. "What do you need to prepare for?" Dwight asked and I sighed. "That is something that it is better you don't know. Trust me when I say that this is my last resort and you don't want to know what it involves." They both looked uncertain, but I just smiled and got up. "Come on, it's been a long day and I for one would like to get some sleep," I said as I took their hands and led them to the bedroom. Tomorrow was going to potentially be the beginning of the end for me and if it was the end, then I wanted to spend as much time with these two men as possible.


	18. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

ROSE

I woke up well before my amazing men and I laid there just basking in the feeling of having these two men wrapped around me. I knew what was going to happen today and I knew that this would change things forever. I felt tears form in my eyes and I quickly willed them away and then got up. Magnus would be here soon and I needed to be prepared. I gently touched both mens forehead and whispered softly, "Sleep." That spell should last for about an hour. I quickly got dressed and made for the Gull.

When I arrived I saw another car that was not Jace's rental and hurried inside. Magnus Bane, in all his sparkly glory, was standing at the bar chatting with Jace and Mari. "Magnus, my friend," I said, happily running into his arms. He picked me up and spun me around. When he set me down I started laughing as I saw Jace's expression. "Oh come now Jace. Just because I won't touch you doesn't mean I won't touch other people. You're just too cocky and I wouldn't want to inflate that ego of yours anymore than it's already being inflated. Plus Alec might just kill me...and I would much prefer to stay alive." Both Mari and I laughed until we had tears streaming down our face as Jace gaped like a fish. "It's good to see you Magnus. Shall we get started? We only have a limited amount of time," I said, forcing myself to not glance at Mari and keep my barriers up. I hoped that Magnus did the same thing. He nodded and grabbed his bag. "Where to D'ardaigh?" I smiled slightly at the use of my Wiccan name. "We'll go to…" I paused and thought about it. "Mari, do you mind if we use your apartment? You can go to the Rouge if you want. Duke and Dwight should be awake by now." Mari looked at me strangely and I could feel her trying to read my mind, but I held strong. She didn't need to know what I was planning. "Yeah...sure…" she said slowly and I nodded before heading upstairs with Magnus falling into step with me. "Are you sure about this?" he asked softly once we reached the apartment. "Yes. It's the only way…"

MARI

"Well he's...interesting…" I said as I watched Magnus and Rose go upstairs. "He's been around for...actually I'm not sure how long he's been around for," Jace said behind me. "Are you sure we can trust him?" I asked. I had sensed Rose's shields and if she had put them up AND called Magnus, something wasn't right. Jace put his arms around my waist and his chin on my shoulder. "He is one of the most trustworthy people I know. I wouldn't let him anywhere near my brother if he wasn't." I sighed. He was probably right. I was just over thinking things. "Yeah, I guess I'm just a little on edge about this whole thing." "Well," Jace said as he kissed my neck. "I know something that can take your mind off of things for a while." I could feel his smile on my skin. I turned my head, smiling. "Oh you do, do you?" I asked, turning fully around. "Mhm," Jace said. We both laughed as he kissed me. Our lips moved in perfect union. I licked his bottom lip with my tongue and he opened his mouth, letting my tongue slip inside. Our tongues danced together and we both let out low moans. I felt Jace move closer to me and I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him as close as possible. His hands were on my waist, just barely touching skin. We kept kissing, hardly pausing for breath. I was beginning to feel dizzy at the loss of air but I didn't want to stop. I forced myself to pull back for just a second, allowing both of us to catch our breaths. He rested his forehead against mine, breathing hard. I could see what he wanted to do in his head. "I like that plan" I whispered softly. "Won't your brother be angry with us?" He asked. "I don't care," I said smiling. Suddenly we were kissing again, this time with an animalistic need that went beyond anything either of us had ever felt before. Jace put his hands under my shirt, pulling it up and over my head, leaving me sitting on the bar stool in my blue lace bra and jeans. He kissed my neck hungrily, biteing lightly every few kisses. I sighed in pure extecy and moaned. As I wrapped my arms around his neck, he reached around me and picked me up, never breaking his trail of bites and kisses that was now making its way down to my breasts. I was breathing hard as I hit the wall, knocking off a picture that had been hanging there. Oops I thought. Guess Duke's gonna know now… Jace came back up and kissed my lips again. I returned the kiss and reached down to take his shirt off. I pulled it up over his head and threw it on the floor. As soon as our stomachs touched we moaned. We both loved the feel of skin on skin. It was electric and gratifying. He pinned me to the wall with his whole body while his hands held my legs in place just below my butt. Having his hands there made me think about him touching me in the one place I wanted him most. I felt myself get wet just thinking about it. I touched his face, sending him an image of me lying on the closest table. He abliged happily, slamming me down hard so hard I was afraid the table my crack in half. Luckily for us both it didn't. He kissed his way down my stomach and back up again. When he got back up to my neck I reached down and undid his belt. Next were his pants. As I got the button undone and slid the zipper down I felt his hands go to my pants. He undid the button and pulled my pants and underwear off in one go, making wonder briefly if he did this often, but I needed him inside me so badly that I really didn't care. As he continued to kiss me I pulled his manhood out of his boxers, causing him to moan with satisfaction. I slid him into place and he pushed into me. We both let out gutteral moans and I bucked my hips into his. "Oh Jace…" I moaned, trailing off, letting the sea of pleasure overtake me. He picked me up again, still inside me and put me on the floor. My hands were on his back, my legs around his waist, trying to get him as close to me as possible. Our hips moved in time together. I could feel the coil inside me tighten dangerously tight. One last push and I was done, falling again through bliss and pleasure. Jace pulled out and lay down next to me, both of us breathing hard. I rolled over and kissed him lightly. "You were right," I said slyly. "That was an excellent distraction." Jace smiled and held me close. "I'm so very glad you enjoyed yourself love." He returned my kiss with a gentle one of his own before we both sat up to survey the damage. I sighed. "I am so going to be in trouble," I said and then laughed. That was a first, getting scolded for something. "He'll never even know," Jace said. "As long as we make sure to grab your panties off that bottle of whiskey." We both laughed. "How-?" I asked but then cut myself off. "Nevermind," I finished. Jace helped me up and we started putting our clothes back on and straightening up the Gull.

BOTH

Rose carefully and quietly made her way down the stairs behind the Gull. She was hoping that Mari and Jace were still otherwise involved, but unfortunately her luck was not very good today. "Where are you going?" a voice asked, causing Rose to jumped and spin around to find Mari leaning against one of the open doors of the Gull. Of course, by the time she noticed her it was too late. Mari had seen her plan in her head. Rose quickly threw her mental barriers up and made to run. Hopefully Mari was too overwhelmed by the information to say anything.

Once again her luck wasn't good. Mari stepped in front of her. "Are you insane?" she asked Rose seriously. Rose stared at her hard. "No. I'm trying to keep as many people safe as possible!" Rose moved to step around Mari again. "By getting yourself killed?!" Mari shouted back, stepping in front of Rose. "At least you would all be alive!" Rose shouted back. "At least you could go on with your lives in Haven. At least then there wouldn't be a charred black spot where Haven used to be!" "Would you forget about the town for a second? What about my brother? You would devastate him! And Dwight! And Nathan, and me! And here I thought I was the selfish one!" Mari yelled. "Don't you dare!" Rose yelled back. "Don't you dare call me selfish. My entire family in Ireland was murdered because of me. Because they wouldn't give Lillith what she wanted. Me. I can't let that happen again. I would rather DIE than see my family here killed. I would rather DIE than see Lillith lay one of her filthy little hands on any one of you." By this point Rose had tears streaming down her face and her walls had crumbled. Flashes of her family's deaths were coming quicker and quicker as her control slipped. "Oh stop playing the self pity card! That wasn't your fault Rose! You can't keep blaming yourself! And, yes, taking yourself away from us, not giving us a say in the matter, not giving DUKE a say in the matter, is the most selfish thing you could do! I should know! Do you know how many times in my life I saw people make this same choice?! How many lives have been ruined because someone took the easy way out?" Mari was breathing hard and fury and rage were rolling off of her. "You think this is easy?! You think I want this to be the only choice I have left? No matter which way I go on this I will MOST LIKELY end up dead. The plan Magnus and I have, 9 out of 10 times it kills the person. And the older you are the more likely it is you will be killed because the more your magick is a part of your lifesource. I'm removing my magick Mari. Completely. Forever. By removing my magick I can, potentially, remove the one thing that is holding Lillith here. So don't you dare tell me this is the easy way out," Rose said, deadly calm. She once more began walking down the deck, making a b-line for her car.

"It's easier than facing her head on," Mari said behind her. "You know she won't stop at you, even if you get rid of your magick. She may have magick, but she's exactly like the drug lords and mob bosses I used to work with. Give them a taste and they want you for life. Deny them what they want, and they go after EVERYTHING in your life and then instead of killing you, they let you live. With nothing except the feeling that you were responsible. And you already know how torturous that is." Mari had caught up to Rose grabbing her hand and turning her around. "The only way to stop her is to end her. Forever. And to do that, you need to keep your magick. Magnus can't do it alone. Neither of you can. And you won't have too. Aren't you and Duke the one's that keep telling me I'm not alone? That works both ways girl. Let us help you! We can face this thing together." Rose looked at her for a long moment. Seeing the girl who had come here looking for her brother and the woman standing before her who had found so much more than that, throwing her own words back in her face. "When did you become so wise?" She finally asked, pulling Mari into a hug. "You're right. I'm not alone...Now I just need to figure out a way to kill Lillith. She not only has a vast knowledge of magick, she also has over a hundred different acquired magicks…" Rose thought long and hard. "Oh Mari...You're brilliant you know that?!" "Well yes but-" Mari started as Rose grabbed her hand and dragged her along as she ran back up to the apartment. "MAGNUS STOP! We can contain her. In the box. Don't lie to me, I know you have it. We can contain Lillith in Pandora's Box." Magnus looked at her with a thoughtful expression and then his smile turned feral. "Well then, we'd better get to work!" he said with a laugh as he set about dismantling the spell they had been working on and creating a new one.

Suddenly Mari had wrenched her hand out of Rose's grasp and was grabbing Rose's wrist in a vice-like hold, and twisted her arm so that it was behind her back. "What are you doing?" Rose asked in utter confusion. "Don't think you are getting off that easy," Mari told her as she began marching Rose back down the stairs. "You are telling both Duke and Dwight what your plan was. They deserve to know! And they deserve to hear it from you." Rose noted the glee coming from Mari as she was marched to her car. "But-" Rose started. "Uh-uh. No chance." Mari said practically throwing her in the passenger seat. Mari hopped into the driver's side and sped off to the docks holding Rose's seatbelt buckle so Rose couldn't escape. When they reached the docks, Mari jumped out of the car before Rose could even unbuckle her seatbelt. As she tried to make a run for it, Mari grabbed her, again twisting Rose's arm behind her back. "You really should stop trying to run. I used to deal with really sketchy people for a living. Do you honestly think I don't know how to get people to do what I want?" she asked Rose. Rose stopped for a moment, or as long of a moment as Mari would allow as she marched her down the docks, before responding, "You know...I never really thought about it...But perhaps this is something we could discuss back at the Gull!" she suggested, hoping to distract her. Mari laughed. "Nice try," she said. "But there is no way you are getting out of this. We can discuss my past AFTER you tell my brother and Dwight. Assuming you're still alive," she said snarkily.

She marched Rose up the gang plank and straight down the stairs into the tiny kitchen. Duke and Dwight were both sitting at the table, Duke reading the paper, Dwight appearing to be asleep. When the girls got down the stairs, Duke looked up. "Mari, what the-" Duke started before Mari cut him off. "Go ahead," she said to Rose pushing her forward. "Tell them what you were going to do." Rose looked back at Mari with a pleading expression, but got no response so she turned to face Duke and Dwight, who were looking at her expectantly. She opened her mouth to try to explain, but no sound came out. She tried again, but was at a loss for words. She didn't know how to explain it to them. Mari leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. "She was going to give herself up." She said calmly, smiling slightly. "Yep, just like that, with no concern for any of us". She knew she had gone a step too far, but she was just having way too much fun. She knew both Duke and Dwight would understand. Eventually. Rose stared at Mari with wide eyes. "That's not fully true!" she finally was able to say, but she was drowned out by both men yelling, "YOU WERE GOING TO WHAT?!" and jumping up from the table. Mari turned. "And that's my cue," she said making a quick exit back to the car.

ROSE

I cringed as both men moved towards me. I had never seen either of them so angry before and the fact that it was my fault hurt even worse. I knew that I deserved this anger, so I prepared myself to take it. What I wasn't prepared for was the gentle hands that were laid on my cheeks. "Tell us what your plan was…" Duke said softly, but there was no mistaking the order in his voice. I sighed and moved to sit down, but Dwight held me tight. "No, tell us what your plan was," he said firmly. He was slightly less controlled than Duke and I could see the anger still licking at his eyes. "Up until about 10 minutes ago there seemed to be only two options. Either I gave myself up and hoped that by doing so Lillith would leave you and Haven alone, or…" I stopped for a moment to gather myself. "There is a magickal procedure that would essentially removed my magick from me. Forever. No take backs. The magick itself could be bottled and I planned on using it as a sort of bomb to kill Lillith with." They both looked confused. "That doesn't sound so bad," they said at virtually the same time. "The procedure has killed 9 out of 10 of the people it's been tried on. Either way I had come to accept that I was going to die. I was going to be forced into leaving you both. So I had planned to go out on my terms. I got a night of cuddling and making love with the two of you last night, I had seen and hugged Mari one last time this morning and I had left my last messages with Magnus. I had every intention of handing myself over today." I finished, refusing to meet their eyes. I knew that they wouldn't be happy with me, but I hoped that maybe they would understand.

There was a long period of silence during which the only sounds were that of my shuddering breaths and the creak of the Rouge. Finally Dwight spoke and his voice was deadly calm. "You were going to give yourself up...knowing that it was more than likely you were going to be killed? You were going to leave without even saying goodbye?" I nodded slowly, still refusing to meet either of their eyes. Duke finally spoke, "Why?" "My entire family, my coven, in Ireland was killed by Lillith because they wouldn't give me up to her. I couldn't let that happen here. She won't just kill you two and Mari and Nathan. She'll kill all of Haven. She will oblitertate it off the map!" I tried to explain. "That's not your decision to make," Duke said sharply. "It's our decision, Rose. The three of us. We are unit and, as we said before, we will face this head on. But it seems to me that you've forgotten who you belong to. Because if you remembered that you belonged to two incredibly possessive and dominate men, you wouldn't have even thought about giving yourself up without at least consulting us first." I flinched at the reprimand in his voice. I had never heard that before and, while it made me a little nervous, I couldn't help but feel a little bit excited.

Dwight gently, but firmly placed his hand around my throat and forced my chin up so I was looking at them both. "We make decisions together. All three of us. Is that understood?" He asked softly, his eyes were dark with anger and desire. I nodded slowly and he frowned. "I asked you a question and I expect an answer little one." My eyes widened and I quickly answered, "Yes sir." He smiled and leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on my lips. "Much better," he whispered as he pulled away. Duke's hand replaced his around my neck as Duke leaned in to capture my lips and I savored the moment of being able to taste them both. Duke's lips moved roughly over mine and I easily picked up the rhythm. This was a game we had played long before Dwight ever came into the picture. I began to try to take advantage of his open mouthed kisses when he nipped my lower lip and I pulled away pouting. It was only then that I noticed that, while I had been distracted by Duke, Dwight had swiftly removed all stitches of clothing that were on all three of us. "Right now, we are in control. You don't get to control your fate. You are ours, Rose. You belong to us just as we belong to you and no one, not even some jacked up power hungry witch, is going to change that," Duke said as he ran his free hand along my bare side, fingers lightly splaying over my ribs just under my right breast. I looked into his eyes and noted that, despite the desire, he was furious. This was their way of showing just how furious they were with me.

Dwight moved to stand pressed up behind me and I could feel his manhood pressed against me, hard and hot. Just the feel of it caused me to moan softly and, if Duke hadn't been holding me firmly in place, I would have turned around and jumped his bones with no hesitation. Duke must have read the desire in my expression because he chuckled darkly. "She likes that Dwight. Look at her, she wants you so bad right now." Dwight reached a hand down between my legs and I moaned as he ran fingers lightly along my inner thighs. "Oh, she is wet," he growled. "She's dripping all along her thighs and we've barely even touched her." Duke smiled and met my eyes again. "Do you like this sweetheart? Do you like knowing that you are at our mercy?" I nodded vehemently. "Yes sir," I whispered. "Good," he murmured as he leaned in to kiss me again, this time slowly, gently running his tongue along my lips. I happily responded, opening my mouth to him and moving to wrap my arms around him, only to find that I couldn't move them. Dwight had captured my arms behind my back and was holding them as he left open mouthed kisses along my throat and shoulder. I moaned into Duke's mouth as Dwight found a particular sensitive spot and sucked on it hard, most definitely leaving a mark. I pulled away from Duke to protest, but the look in his eyes stopped me. "You seem to have forgotten who you belong to. So we are reminding you and everyone else, that you are ours. No one else can have you and no one else can mark you." I swallowed thickly at the implications of his words and then let out a moan that was tinged with pain as Dwight sucked on the spot harder, adding his teeth to it. When he pulled away I glanced at my shoulder and saw what was soon to be a very dark bruise. "Mine," he whispered darkly, his hands moved from their resting place on my hips to resting gently over my breasts. Duke gently placed his free hand on top of Dwight's hand and they both squeezed gently. "Ours," he whispered. Then my senses were assaulted with pleasure. Dwight continued to kiss and suck on my neck and shoulders as he squeezed my breasts and Duke's free hand slid down between my thighs and slowly pressed two of his long, dexterous fingers inside of me. The moan that was making it's way out of my throat was cut off as Duke squeezed slightly. "No sounds my love. Not yet. And no cumming either. Not until we've given you permission to." I nodded my head quickly and a small whimper escaped my throat as I helplessly moved my hips, hoping he would move his hand soon. The action made Dwight groan as I pressed back against him and he bit into my other shoulder hard. My mouth opened in a wordless scream as I did my best to keep from making any sounds. Duke smiled and slowly began to move his fingers. After just a few seconds, my thighs were shaking and I knew that soon I wouldn't have a choice, my body would shut down from pleasure. Duke seemed to realize it too and he withdrew his fingers completely, causing another soft whimper to escape from my throat. Duke released my throat as he brought his fingers up to his mouth and slowly sucked on one. "Mmmm, you taste divine sweetheart," he said huskily, his voice dropping so low it had me shivering. He reached his hand forward and Dwight quickly wrapped his mouth around it, sucking it gently, causing Duke to moan softly. When he pulled away he was smirking. "Mmm, killing two birds with one stone." Duke smiled and leaned forward to kiss him roughly and I was left to stare in amazement, still held in place by Dwight's arms entwined with mine. Duke gently wrapped his hand around the back of Dwight's neck and pulled him closer, sandwhiching me in between their two larger bodies and I couldn't help but smile at the love that was obviously shared between them. When they finally broke for air they smiled at each other and then smiled at me. The burning desire in both of their eyes caught me off guard and set me on fire. "Why don't we move this to somewhere a little bit more comfortable?" he said to Dwight. Dwight nodded in agreement and quickly swept me up into his arms, carrying me to our bedroom. He placed me on the bed gently and then crawled onto it with me, pulling me so I was sitting on top of him. I could feel him pressed against my core and I slowly lifted myself up enough to align him correctly and then began to sink down, inch by inch. "Good girl," Duke whispered as he ran a finger along my spine. My head was thrown back as Dwight filled me completely and I had to pause for a moment, but Dwight wasn't having any of that, he gripped my hips tightly and forced me to keep a brutal pace. I could feel the coil tightening within me at an impossible rate. I was already having way too much trouble holding the moans in, if he didn't slow down I wasn't going to be able to stop myself from cumming, but Duke, always perceptive, leaned over and whispered, "Scream for us baby. Cum for us," and I did. My orgasm hit me like a freight train and my voice cracked with the sheer force of my scream. Dwight rolled us so I was underneath him as he kept pistoning into me at a steady pace that was already building me up again. It was too much, it was all too much, I tried to scream, but all that came out was gibberish and Duke smiled as he reclined on the bed near me, slowly stroking himself. "You're no where near done darling," he said as Dwight cried out and came with me this time. He emptied his seed inside of me and then collapsed on his side, careful not to crush me. I whimpered as he carefully slid out, but that whimper turned into a cry as Duke carefully lined himself up and then slid home. Dwight pressed a kiss to my temple and smiled. "Next time you want to try and give yourself up in a life or death situation, remember this baby. Remember how good this feels and know that you don't want to die," he said softly. "Look at me Rose," Duke said softly as he slowly moved his hips, keeping a painfully slow pace. My eyes fluttered open and landed on his. They were dark and clouded with lust and desire and love. "Keep your eyes on me. I want to see them when you cum," he ordered and I nodded in understanding. He thrust his hips forward roughly and I screamed in pleasure. He kept a brutal pace, only pausing to adjust for a better angle, and soon I felt another orgasm begin to roll through me. I kept my eyes trained on him for as long as I could before being swept away in the powerful wave of pleasure that swept through my body and Duke kept going. This time he was pistoning harder, chasing his own release. As my fourth orgasm hit it took him with it and we both screamed out our release. He collapsed on the other side of me, breathing heavily. "You are ours, Rose. No one is taking you away. Not even you," he said softly before we all fell into a deep sleep.


	19. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

**BOTH**

Rose groaned at the prodding she felt in her head. She rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but the prodding continued until she finally grumbled _Go away Mari! _she pulled Dwight's arm over her head to try and block out the prodding. _What?! _she finally said, in annoyance. _Get dressed! And get the...guys dressed…._Rose felt Mari shiver involuntarily. _We need to figure out how we are going to end this once and for all! _Mari sent her. Rose groaned in annoyance and nudged the guys. "Mari, Jace, Magnus, Nathan and Audrey are coming over to discuss our plan of attack," she said as she slowly moved to look in the mirror. "Oh GODS! Dwight you jerk!" she cried as she saw the state of her neck, covered in hickies. Duke sat up and started laughing as he moved over to her he began to kiss every single one of them. "You're ours!" he said happily and she smiled back. "Yes I am. Now come on, Mari will be here soon and she REALLY doesn't want to see you all naked!" Duke and Dwight proceeded to get dressed while Rose tidied up the state room, picking up their discarded clothing from the night before and putting them into the hamper. Once the boys had gotten dressed and were setting to work making food, Rose moved into the bathroom to take a shower and find a shirt and scarf that would cover her bruised neck.

When she emerged 30 minutes later she smiled as she saw Mari curled up on Jace's lap as he smiled and chatted with Magnus and Duke. Dwight was chatting with Audrey and Nathan was quickly cleaning up the used dishes. In the middle of the table was a medium size box with a jewel on the top. Pandora's Box. At her sharp intake of breath the room went silent. "Well, I guess this is it," she said softly as she placed her hands on it gently. "I knew you had it Magnus." He smiled slightly. "Well, I always knew it would come in handy," he replied. Rose laughed softly. "Well that's a fact. So does everyone knows what's going to happen?" She asked looking around at everyone in the room. "Yeah," Mari said in an annoyed tone. "Dwight and Duke are going to STOP thinking about last night." Both men looked at her smiling slightly. "Oh you so asked for it!" She said as she grabbed both of their hands, sending pictures of her and Jace to them. "Gah! Really Mari?" Duke said pulling his hand away. "_IN_ the Gull?" Mari cocked an eyebrow. "Like I said…" she said smugly. Rose smiled slightly at them and cleared her throat. "Children…" she said teasingly. "Can we please be serious for a moment?" she asked looking specifically at Duke and Mari. Mari put her arm back around Jace's neck and gave Rose a knowing look. _Seems like you had a good night. You're welcome_ she sent to Rose. "Ok," she said out loud. "Let's go over this again. Rose?" Rose took a deep breath to collect herself and then finally said, "Okay, so Audrey, I am going to need you to handle William for as long as you can. I am hoping that, once we get Lillith in the box, he will back down and surrender. Mari, I am going to need you to stay back and read thoughts for me. I've taught you how to build and hold a bridge. I'm going to need you to do that between all of us. I can shield it and so can Magnus, but our main focus is going to be distracting Lillith enough to get her in the box. Duke, Dwight, I want you two to help out Nathan and Audrey as much as possible. Jace, you're going to be protecting Magnus and myself from outside forces. You have the most experience dealing with the things that Lillith will likely try to conjure. Once we get Lillith in this box...well...Magnus and I have a few ideas…" Rose finished laughing slightly as an image of the box sinking to the bottom of a volcano. _Nice choice _Mari sent. "Ok, sounds like a good plan to me," Mari said looking around the room. Rose sighed and nodded. "This is dangerous. I won't lie and tell you it's going to be easy. If it were just William we'd be okay. And I am so sorry to have brought this upon you," she took a deep, shuddering breath. "But I am grateful that this time I won't be facing her alone," she said trying to smile as she took both Dwight and Duke's hands. "Okay," Mari said, "So when are we doing this?" "Well, we have until the end of the week, but I feel like, if we are ready...we should hit them sooner and catch them off guard." "Alrighty," Mari said standing up. "Let's go get this bitch."

A few hours later we were all standing near the edge of the clearing where Rose knew Lillith would be. "Okay guys, this is it. Now or never…" she said as she turned to look at Dwight. She knew Duke and Mari needed a moment so she gently took Dwight's hand and led him off to the side. "Dwight, listen to me, just in case something happens to me I want you to know that I love you. I love you so much and I never, ever want what we have to end," she gently pressed her lips to his and he responded slowly and tenderly.

Duke walked over to Mari and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and smiled. "Duke...I don't...I don't know…" she paused trying to get the words out, not quite sure what she wanted to say. A thousand words ran through her head. Words like "thank you" and "I'm sorry", but none of them seemed enough. None of them seemed to encapsulate what she wanted to say to her big brother. Duke wrapped his arms around her. "I know Mar, I know. Neither of us are good at goodbyes. But I need you to know how happy I am that you decided to come to Haven. And I promise, if we get out of this mess alive, you and I are going to be spending a lot more time together." Duke pulled her closer and they both stood there in a silent embrace.

Duke slowly stepped out of the embrace with Mari and nudged her towards Jace and he headed towards where Dwight and Rose were holding each other tightly. He gently wrapped his arms around both of them and rested his head on Dwight's shoulder. The three of them breathed each other in deeply. Slowly they all pulled away and Duke took both of their hands in his and looked deeply into their eyes. "I can be intense, I can be territorial and gods know I can be...mule-headed...but I'm also yours. Both of yours. If you'll have me," he finished. Rose smiled and kissed him softly. "Duke, you've been mine for a very long time," she whispered as she moved out of the way for Dwight, who stepped forward and pulled Duke into a tight embrace. "I've been yours since that night on the _Rouge,"_ he whispered and pressed a kiss to his forehead and then his lips. "If we get out of this alive, let's get married," Dwight said softly to Duke, saying it soft enough that Rose wouldn't be able to hear. "Okay," he whispered back and they shared one last kiss before embracing Rose together and enjoying one last moment of solace before all hell broke loose.

Mari moved to Jace, pulling him away from the group so that they stood alone. She took his hands in hers and looked in to his eyes. "I need you to know something," she said quietly. "I love you." she said. "I know," Jace said. "No, not like the way people just say it. I love you. I love you the way you are supposed to love someone in those stupid fairy tales." Mari said laughing. "You are my air. I can't survive without you. I never thought I'd find anyone who could love me. But then you walk into my crazy life and make everything make sense." She lightly put both hands on either side of his face and sent him images and feelings from every moment they had been together since Jace's arrival in Haven. Jace stood there in amazement, watching and feeling everything Mari had experienced, feeling all of the love and joy that he had brought to her life. He pulled close to him and kissed her hard on the mouth. "You are my reason to live," he said holding her.

Audrey and Nathan stood a little ways of staring into each others eyes. "I love you Audrey," Nathan said softly. "More than anything in this world. I meant what I said earlier, I'd rather die than see you hurt. I will do everything I can to protect you from him okay?" Audrey nodded. "I know Nathan, just as I will do everything I can to protect you. I love you," she replied giving him a soft kiss. Then they moved over to Duke, Dwight and Rose.  
Nate," Duke said softly as he gave Nathan a quick hug. "Duke, Dwight, you two better take care of this one," he said as he pulled Rose into a tight hug. "She's all the family I have left and I want her well looked after." Both men smiled and nodded. "We will." Rose glanced up at Nathan and smiled tightly. "Well, Wuornos...I guess this is it. Imagine what your old man would say about this situation? The entirety of Haven would be shaken and quakin'" she said softly, trying for humor. It didn't work so well. Nathan hugged her closer. "We are all going to get out of this sweetheart, I promise. And when we do, you and I are going to spend some quality cousin time together. I promise." Rose kissed his cheek and stepped away. "I'll hold you to that mister," she said softly.

Rose stepped away from the group, leaving them embracing each other tightly and moved towards Mari. "Well," she said when she reached her. "This is it…" she said softly. "In case things go badly," Mari said keeping her hands in her pockets, looking everywhere but at Rose. "Thank you." she said. "For everything, not just for teaching me but for all the...friend stuff…" she said slowly. Rose smiled softly and reached her hands out towards Mari, waiting for her to take them. When she hesitantly did, Rose started building the bridge they were going to need. As they built it Rose showed her every moment where Mari had made her life better and every moment where she was happy because of Mari or proud of her. _Thank you _she whispered softly. Then she showed her a picture of Dwight and Duke. _If something happens to me...take care of them for me? _she asked softly, tears in her eyes. Mari smiled slightly. _Of course. Same for him. _She thought nodding to where Jace stood close behind. _If this goes bad he's going need someone looking out for him. _Rose nodded in assurance. _Of course. And Mari...don't close yourself off again. Let Duke and Jace be there for you...for me…_ She pulled Mari into a tight hug and let a few tears slide down her face. "Stop thinking like that," Mari whispered in her ear. "Remember what I told you? The only one that decides your fate is you. You can do this. I believe in you." Mari felt tears run down silently as she realized just how true those words were. Rose smiled and held her tightly for a few seconds longer and then she pulled away. "Okay, you ready for this?" Mari nodded. "Bring it!" she said and took her stance just beyond the trees.


	20. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

ROSE

I took a deep breath and stepped out into the clearing on the hill. "Lillith!" I yelled out moving towards the top of the hill. "Come out come out wherever you are!" I knew taunting her was a bad idea, but I was mad. I was mad that she had killed my family in Ireland and I was mad that she had dared to come here and threaten my family in Haven. She materialized in a puff of smoke a few feet in front of me. "Well, well, well. You're early little Hunter. I didn't expect that," she said. "Would it happen to have anything to do with the great Magnus Bane coming to town?" I froze at the mention of Magnus. I had hoped that she wouldn't notice him. "Oh yes I know he's here. Did you really think you could hide that from me?" she sneered. "Well, I had hoped," I began. Lillith shot a spell at me and I went flying into a nearby tree. That's when everything went to hell. "Okay Lillith you want to play? Let's play!" I growled as I began shooting blue shards of fire at her. She was barely able to deflect them and that's when I knew that this plan might work. I kept advancing on her, pushing her back towards where Magnus was standing working the spell on the box. She was having an increasingly hard time blocking my spells and I was starting to taste victory, when she threw a particularly nasty spell at me and I was once again flying into a tree. Lillith moved towards me like a predator stalking it's prey when Dwight ran into my field of vision from where he had apparently been hiding.

Lillith noticed him moments after I did and then she was behind him, her hand twisted around his throat. "Well isn't this a surprise. One of your delicious men. What should we do? Maybe I should just kill him like I did the rest of your pathetic family." She tightened her hand minisculey and Dwight began to choke, his face turning red from lack of oxygen before she released slightly, " Or better yet, maybe I should make YOU kill him," she said thoughtfully. Then she flung out her hand and I lost control of my body. I could still move my eyes somewhat and I glanced down noticing that I had a knife in my hand. I tried to stop myself from moving towards where Lillith was holding Dwight, but her spell was too strong and I was beginning to panic. "Oh look at that sheer panic in your eyes. You really love this man don't you?" Lillith asked in sheer happiness. Dwight met my eyes and I could see the pure belief. He had faith in me that I wouldn't hurt him and I wouldn't let myself let him down. I calmed the panic in my brain and quickly found the threads of the Lillith's spell. I slowly, one by one unbound the spell and finally I had full control over my body. I quickly met Dwight's eyes and he moved as much as he could to the side as I hurled the knife in my hand at Lillith. Unfortunately she seemed to be expecting that because at the last second she pulled Dwight back up and the knife buried itself in his shoulder instead of Lillith's chest. He threw back his head in pain and let out an anguished curse.

"No!" I screamed in complete horror as I watched the blood begin to spread through Dwight's shirt. "Please! Let him go!" I cried falling to my knees. "Will you relinquish your powers?" she asked and I felt tears fall down my face. "YES!" I cried just as Dwight shouted out. "NO! Rose don't do it! Kill her! Don't do it baby! It's okay! You've still got Duke! Don't worry about me! Kill her!" he screamed at me. His eyes were filled with pain and panic. "No. I won't let her kill any more of my family…" I whispered. "I will relinquish my powers to you. Just let him go! Please!" Lillith nodded in agreement. I stepped forward towards Lillith and felt it as the spell began to take affect. My extremities began to tingle and it got harder for me to breath, as if something was constricting my chest and throat. "I love you," I said as I met Dwight's eyes before I collapsed to the ground.

DWIGHT

I watched in absolute horror as Rose fell to the ground. "Well, that was much easier than I expected," Lillith said in my ear. "Now what to do with you my handsome man? Should I just kill you? Or maybe have a little fun first?" she whispered, running her tongue along my neck. I shuddered and twisted my head away, the movement causing a painful jolt in my shoulder. I was losing blood quickly, but at that moment it didn't matter. "Magnus, NOW!" I managed to yell and Magnus stepped out from the edge of the forest. "Lillith Delaney!" he yelled, his voice booming through the clearing. "You have committed horrendous crimes and are therefore sentenced to lifetime imprisonment!" The grip around my throat began to loosen as Lillith began screaming, "What are you doing?! No! Not the box! You can't put me in there! NOOO-" the grip disappeared completely and I fell to my knees, holding my shoulder, as I watched Lillith dissolving into a red mist and being pulled into the box that Magnus held in his hand. Once he nodded in assurance that everything was in order I stuggled over to where Rose was laying. "Rose!" I cried. "Come on Rose. Please!" She was cold and lifeless in my arms. "Magnus! Help me!" I pleaded as he moved towards me. He knelt next to me and placed his fingers on her temple. Slowly the color began to return to Rose's face and she began to breath again. "I've done all I can do, Dwight. She has to choose to wake up," he said finally. I looked down at the beautiful woman in my arms and tears filled my eyes.

"Rose," I said softly. "Please wake up. Mari needs you, Duke needs you, Nathan needs you...I need you. Duke and I won't be the same without you. We need you to keep us strong. Please baby…I can't lose you like I lost Lizzie and Claire," I whispered as the tears slid down my face. "Please wake up." I leaned down and gently pressed my lips against her lips. After a moment she returned the kiss. "Rose?" I whispered happily. "Dwight…" she responded. "What happened?" I felt happiness and elation fill my body and I held her tightly, ignoring the pain in my shoulder for the moment. "You're okay!" "Yeah, I'm fine sweetie," she whispered back. "Did we get her?" "Yeah sweetheart, she's gone," I responded softly. "You're safe." "Oh...that's...that's good…" she whispered softly before once again falling unconscious. I glanced to Magnus who was smiling softly. "She just needs rest. Lillith nearly succeeded in completing her spell. It will take a few days before she is up and moving around like she used to," he explained and I sighed in relief as I tried to gather her into my arms, only to stop at the sharp jolt of pain that ran through my body. "Oh here!" Magnus said as we both suddenly remembered the knife in my shoulder. He waved his hand over the knife and it disappeared. There was still blood on my shirt where it had been, but the wound and the knife had disappeared. "There, that should do it!" he said happily. "Thank you Magnus. For everything," I said sincerely as I gently lifted Rose. "It's the least I can do. Someday I may tell you the story of how this woman saved my life…" he drifted off as he ran his hand affectionately over Rose's hair and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I will return to the apartment at the Gull. i need to rest for a bit as well. That was powerful magick. I will keep the box with me until Rose figures out how she wants to dispose of Lillith. Take her back to the Rouge and let her sleep for a bit. She should be good as new in a few hours." I smiled in relief and we made our way back towards the cars.

MARI

Duke, Jace, and I were on our way to pay a visit to Dave and Vince, hoping they would know what the hell the 'Heart of Haven' was, while Nathan and Audrey went to go find William. We got to the door of the newspaper and Jace held the door open for me while DUke ushered me inside. I walked inside to find both brothers sitting at their computers. "Hello Mari, Duke, Jace," Dave said was I came through the gate and sat down. Duke sat down next to me and Jace leaned against the railing crossing him arms. "What can we help you with?" I handed Dave the book. "Look familiar?" I asked him. He picked it up and flipped through it, frowning. "No," he replied. "Should it?" He handed it to Vince, who flipped through it, shook his head, and handed it back to me. I sighed, deflated, and felt the disappointment from both Jace and Duke. "I was hoping you would, but apparently I really am the only one who was meant to see it." I said. "See what?" Vince asked me. "The Guard symbol on the front of the book," I said pointing to where I saw the symbol on the front cover. "And also the inscription on the title page. It says that I have to find the 'Heart of Haven' but I don't have the slightest clue what that is. We were hoping you would know." Vince set the book down and rolled up his sleeves out of habit and that's when I noticed his Guard tattoo was. it was moving. "Hey...Vince…" I said softly. "What is it Mari?" he asked in confusion and I just pointed to his arm. "Oh! It's never done that before…" The tattoo began spinning like a compass and when it stopped I glanced out the window towards where it was pointing. "The lighthouse…" I whispered softly. "I think I may have just found the the Heart of Haven." Everyone looked at me in surprise as I pointed to the symbol on Vince's arm and then to the lighthouse. "Well, let's go take a look…" Vince said excitedly. Duke's phone began ringing. "It's Dwight, hang on…" he said softly as he answered the phone. "Hey, where are you-" he paused for a moment, his emotions fluctuating from anger to fear and then finally to relief as Dwight talked. "You what?! Dwight what were you thinking? Yes I understand but still…" he paused again. "Okay fine I will be there in a bit," he finally responded before hanging up. "Dwight apparently followed Rose and Magnus when they went after Lillith this morning. It's done and Lillith is in the box, but it took a great toll on Rose. I don't know exactly what happened, but I am going to go down meet Dwight at the Rouge. Will you be okay Mari?" He asked in concern, turning towards me. I smiled at him, feeling his worry for me warring with his worry for Dwight and Rose. "I will be fine," I replied gently giving him a quick hug. "Jace won't let anything happen to me." He nodded before quickly kissing me on the forehead and then rushing out the door. "Well there's one worry down. Come on, let's get to the lighthouse."

DUKE

When I got to the Rouge I immediately made my way down to the state rooms and found Dwight sitting on the edge of the bed, watching Rose as she slept. I quietly moved towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey," I said softly, leaning down to capture his lips in a gently kiss. "How's she doing?" He sighed and looked down at her. "She's exhausted, but Magnus did a scan of her and says that she is perfectly healthy and that all her Magick is still intact. Apparently since Lillith didn't finish the spell the magick that she was draining from her was returned. She just needs to rest…" I watched as he gently stroked Rose's arm and noticed the bruising beginning to form on his neck and the blood stain and rip on his shoulder. "Dwight," I said slowly, as I came to realize that he hadn't told me everything. "What happened out there?" He sighed and looked down. "I...When I followed Rose, I didn't reveal it right away. I stayed hidden in the brambles for a bit. At some point Rose got knocked down by a spell I guess so I ran out to try and distract Lillith, but she caught me, hand around my throat kind of deal. Gods it hurt. Rose froze, not wanting to hurt me and Lillith was threatening to kill me and then she came up with the idea of having Rose kill me. Rose was being controlled. Lillith put a knife in her hand while I was captive and was going to make her kill me. Rose managed to undo the spell and I tried to get out of the way as she threw the knife at Lillith, but she wasn't fast enough and Lillith used me as a human shield…" I felt my heart stop as I realized what he was saying. "You were STABBED?!" I cried and cringed immediately when I noticed Rose stirring. Dwight gently ran his hand along her temples in a soothing gesture and she settled down. "Let's finish this outside," he said softly and I nodded, following him outside with clenched fists. I could feel anger and fear building up in me and it made my stomach churn. I could have lost both of them today. That thought killed me. "Yes, I was stabbed," Dwight began. "But Magnus healed me almost immediately. There's not even going to be a scar." He pulled off his shirt and I quickly examined his shoulder from all angles, looking for any sign that he had been stabbed. When I found none I heaved a sigh of relief and pressed a gentle kiss to his shoulder, wrapping my arms around him.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to follow Rose?" I asked after a few minutes of silence, trying but not succeeding in keeping the hurt out of my voice. "You needed to concentrate on Mari. She needed your help-" "But so did you and Rose. I could have lost both of you today!" I cried in frustration. I looked into his eyes, searching for any sort of repentance, but I found none. "I'm not going to apologize for this. Rose needed my help and Mari needed your help. End of story. There is no discussion on that fact," he said softly, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer. I glared at him and pushed him away, walking to the railing and grasping it tightly.. "There is! Didn't we just have this conversation with Rose? Rose belongs to us. You belong to me and Rose and I belong to you and Rose. We are a UNIT. The three of us have to work together and never forget that. You made this decision without at least discussing it with me…" I trailed off as I saw the hurt fill Dwight's eyes. I turned away and looked out over the water, trying to calm down. "Duke. I love you. I love Rose. And I damn well know I belong to both of you. Why do you think I went, even though Rose told us not to? Please, understand that I did what I thought was best. You can't always run point. You have to accept that I may have to do it sometimes. You belong to me just as much as I belong to you. And there will most likely come a time where you will make a decision and not consult me or Rose on it and it doesn't mean you don't love us." He moved so he was standing behind me and then wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling my back against his chest. I sighed, knowing he was right. "Fine. I just...I realize how close I came to losing you both today and it scares me…" I finally managed to get out. He smiled softly. "But you didn't and that's a plus…" I turned my head so I could smile back at him, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Yeah I guess it is."

"So tell me what Vince and Dave had to say," he said as he took my hand and led to me to sit down on one of the chairs on the deck. I took a deep breath before diving into the story about the spinning tattoo and the lighthouse. Just as I finished Rose walked up onto the deck. I immediately jumped up and moved to her. Her steps were unsteady and her face was pale. "Rose, what are you doing up?" Dwight asked as he followed me to her. I wrapped my arms around her waist just as she began to collapse. "I woke up...and you were gone...I thought...maybe it was all a dream...that I had actually…" she broke off as she began to sob. I carried her over to the chair I had been sitting on and held her in my lap. Dwight took the chair next to us and gently rubbed circles along her back. "Shhh...sweetheart we are both fine. You are fine and Lillith is gone. I promise," Dwight said softly and I felt her sobbing begin to quiet. "I know...I just...had a nightmare. i thought I had actually killed you," she said looking at Dwight. He smiled softly at her and leaned in to give her a kiss. "You didn't. I'm real and right here. There is nothing you can do about it!" he teased. I smiled at him and gently kissed Rose's forhead. "Go back to sleep," I whispered softly and I felt her slowly relax into my arms and her breathing began to even out. Dwight and I both slowly got up and I carried her back down to the bed, where both Dwight and I curled up with her, our arms entwined around her and each other. Then slowly we drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later I was woken up by my phone began to ring. "Hey Mari," I said as I answered it. "Hey Duke, we found it. We found the Heart of Haven," she said quickly and I smiled. "Well then...let's kick William's ass back into whatever realm he came from."


	21. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

MARI

Vince and Dave led the way to the lighthouse with Jace and I following close behind. "It had to be the lighthouse," I said quietly to Jace. It was always the lighthouse. From what I had heard in people's heads and in the stories people had told me since I'd arrived in Haven, everything about this town somehow involved the lighthouse. I wanted to kick myself for not thinking of it sooner as being the 'Heart of Haven'. "Well you know what they say," Jace said next to me. "It's always the one place staring you in the face." I made a face. "So what do you think will be in there?" he asked me. I made a sound in the back of my throat. "I have no idea, but somehow I doubt there will be an actual door that says 'Heart of Haven; Door to other Worlds' on it." I said. "Although," I added after a minute, "In this town, you never know." We reached the lighthouse and Dave opened the door, peering in. "Well," he said, "there are no stairs, but Vince, you could give me a boost up to that ledge." I peered in around them and noticed a trap door on the floor. "Or," I said, "We could just go through that door." Both Vince and Dave looked at me. "What door?" they said in unison. I looked sideways at each of them and found that they were both staring at me perplexed. "That door," I said pointing to the floor where I could clearly see a brown wooden hatch in the floor. "You can't see that door?" I asked looking at them. I felt Jace looking over my shoulder and everyone shook their heads. "Yeah, we are definitely supposed to go through that door," I said, knowing that it must have been like the book. I walked over to the door and squatted down. "Wait Mari," Jace said coming over to me. "What?" I asked him. He looked nervous. "You know, usually it's a bad idea to go through invisible doors no one else can see. Even in my world." I sighed, and tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice. Really, I'd been in much worse situations than this. This was just a trapdoor, in the floor of what appeared to be a magickal lighthouse. What could possibly go wrong. I winced a little as I thought about that. In this town, there could be a dragon behind door number one for all I knew, but that wasn't going to stop me. "It'll be fine," I said. I put my hand out and pulled up on the metal lever that was bolted to the top of the door. As I did, I saw the door materialize in each man's head. I pulled the door open and started to go down the steps. Jace followed close behind and Vince and Dave followed him.

We got to the bottom of the steps to find lanterns hanging on the walls. I grabbed one and turned to Jace. "Gotta light?" I asked him. He looked at me annoyed. "No," he said reaching into his pocket. "But I've got this." As he spoke I saw him squeeze something in his hand and a bright light suddenly blazed up. I shielded my eyes quickly, but was still blinking and seeing spots when I turned back to him. "What the hell is that?" I asked. It was brighter and smaller than any flashlight I'd ever seen. "Witchlight," he said simply. "They're like a shadowhunter's version of a flashlight, only much brighter." "Clearly," I said still letting my eyes adjust. I started to walk down the tunnel that we had climbed down into and Jace caught my arm. "Let me go first," he said with a determined look in his eyes. "Ok," I said giving in. If there was a dragon at the end of this tunnel, at least Jace had a sword. I turned to Vince and Dave. "Any idea what's down here?" I asked them. "No, we never even knew this place existed." Vince said. Great, the two people in town who know absolutely everything, know nothing, the one time I need them to know something! We all walked cautiously down the corridor until we came to an opening. Jace walked forward slowly, clearly assessing the situation. I looked around. It was a cave, clearly underneath the town. The walls were solid rock and if you screamed, no one would ever hear you. As I continued scanning I noticed the floor. On it was carved a huge version of the Guard symbol. "Oh yeah," I said as Vince and Dave came up behind me. "I think we found the 'Heart of Haven'". Vince and Dave both stared at the floor in amazement. Jace was walking around it, studying it to see if it said anything.

"What do you think we do now?" Vince asked me. I wasn't sure how I knew, but I found myself answering, "Four people stand on each of the figures. We need two guys and two girls." I grabbed the book from my back pocket and opened it up, hoping there would be more instructions inside. To my relief I found more writing. "We need four people that come from the other side of the door," I said as I paraphrased what was written on the inside of the book. I thought about that for a moment and could hear Jace thinking the same thing. Who would that be? Audrey is from the other side of the door, William, but who else? We need one more guy and girl. Rose maybe? I shook my head. I needed to think. Jace saw the frustration clearly written on my face. "Well, we know Audrey and William fit that bill, so that's two down." He looked at Vince and Dave as he walked over to me, putting his arm around my waist to try and sooth me. "Any idea who the other two are?" he asked the brothers. They looked at each other and shook their heads, but I heard something in Dave's head that shocked me. "Wait," I said, looking at Dave. "What do you mean it's you?" I asked, annoyance coloring my voice. Dave looked at me in shock. I raised my eyebrow. "I can read minds Dave," I said in annoyance. "Oh, right," Dave said slowly. "What do you mean it's you?" I asked again pointedly. I was going to get the answer from him one way or the other. He was old, but that didn't mean I was against using force if I had too. We needed the answer. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Dave began fidgeting and I saw everything run through his mind. "You're adopted?" I asked in surprise. "Yes," he said slowly. "Ok but what does that have to do with this?" I asked trying to wade my way through his mind. I saw the name and picture of a man on a form of some kind.

"Dave!" Vince pushed. Dave began to back away slowly and I felt fear rolling off of him. Earlier I thought his fear had just been a general fear of the unknown, but this seemed clear. He was afraid of something in particular. And whatever it was, he was really scared. "A man named Howard arranged my adoption." he said as if that was enough of an explanation. "And?" Vince and I both said together. Dave continued to walk backwards slowly. "I...I've been there! To the other side of the door! And I'm NOT going back!" He turned and started to run, but Jace got in front of him. "What do you mean?" I asked him. He turned back to me and Vince. "The last time the door was opened, something pulled me through! And it was horrible! Worse than you can imagine!" I could feel the fear coming from him and I had to keep reminding myself to not let it overtake me. I took a calming breath and walked over to him. "We won't let that happen Dave. I promise. But we need to know who the other person is! And we need your help! If you don't help us, William will stay here and wreak havoc on Haven until there's nothing left! Please!" I almost begged him. He stared at me and finally I saw it all click together in his head. "Ok," he said, "But I don't know who the other peron is! I swear!" I could tell he was telling the truth.

"Maybe," Vince's voice came from behind me, "maybe the other person was adopted, like you. Ma ybe we'll find them in the adoption records." I had to hand it to him, that was actually a brilliant idea. I nodded. "Right," I said and looked at them all. "Well I guess we get to go wade throughtons of files now! I'll call Duke. We are going to need all the help we can get." I reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone. I dialed Dukes number as we all headed back up the tunnel.

As Vince went to get the adoption files from the county clerk, Jace, Dave and I went back to the newspaper. "So you have NO idea who the fourth person is?" I asked Dave again, not quite willing to believe him. "I swear, I have no idea." He said as he walked through the front door of the office. We all helped clear off the desks and by the time we were done, Dave had returned with four boxes of files. "That's it?" I asked. "Wow, I'd thought we'd be going through tons of files. It's a good thing I told Duke to stay put." Dave looked at me incredulesley. "This is Haven. We don't have a lot of adoptions in this town." That was a good point. He set the boxes down and we all took one and started going through the files inside.

After about 30 minutes we still had nothing. As I set aside my 15th file I stopped with the file still hovering above the pile. Jace noticed me. "What's up Mar?" he asked. I looked at him. "Read the name in your file again," I said a bit too forcefully. "David Henderson…?" Jace read slowly, confused. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. My face must have shown my shock because Jace was suddenly by my side, his arm around my shoulders. "What's up? Are you ok?" he asked me concerned. "Does that name mean something to you?" Vince asked me setting aside his file. I suddenly realized I was breathing shallowly and that my mouth was dry. I nodded slowly. "Who?" Jace asked. "My...dad…" I was barely able to get out. Dave blanched. "Your father was from Haven?" he asked me. "Why didn't you say something?" I shook my head slowly. "I didn't know. I...I don't think he knew. Was his adoption arranged by the guy who arranged yours Dave?" I looked at Dave as he looked at my dad's file. A million thoughts were going through my mind. Why hadn't my father told me he was adopted? Did he even know? I knew he didn't know that he was troubled, but this was crazy! "Yes," Dave said as he read the file. "The same man arranged both our adoptions. But didn't you say your father is dead?" "Yes, he died in a car crash when I was 16," I said quietly. "So he can't help us," Vince said, sitting back in his chair defeated and disappointed. Suddenly it all clicked into place, like someone had turned a light on in my brain. "No," I said slowly, still trying to process everything. "But I think I can." Jace, Dave, and Vince, all looked at me confused. "What?" They all said in unison. "But you weren't born in another world Mari, you were born here." Vince said, sounding like he was talking to a crazy person. "I know, and I can't explain how I know this, but I can help. I think maybe 'cause I am his daughter? Maybe…" I tried to explain this the best way I could, but I was still trying to understand it. "I mean I am the only one who can see the stuff in the book, the trap door, if I wasn't supposed to be on that symbol under the lighthouse, why would I be able to see those things? Maybe my dad passed down more to me than just my emotion trouble? He didn't even know he had that, so it's possible." I realized I was just throwing out anything that could possibly explain this whole thing, but I hoped it would work because I knew I was supposed to be on the symbol...somehow. "I'm calling Duke. We all need to go down to the lighthouse and send William through it. Vince, call Audrey and Nathan and tell them to bring William," I said and got up to go call Duke. As I left I turned to Jace. "Don't let Dave leave," I told him. He stood up and walked over to Dave's chair, standing so that Dave couldn't make a quick escape.

I stood outside, not wanting an audience for this phone call. I dialed Duke's number and waited for him to pick up. "Hello?" Duke asked as he picked up. "Hey, it's me. We found the fourth person…" I started. "Great!" Duke said. "Who is it?" Oh how to explain this? "Me…" I said and paused letting it sink in. There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "Hang on I'm putting you on speaker, Rose and Dwight need to hear this," Duke said covering his emotions. "Ok, now repeat that please?" I sighed and said, "I'm the fourth person who needs to stand on the symbol under the lighthouse." "But," came Rose's voice quietly. I could tell she was exhausted. "You were born in this world Mari. Shouldn't it be Magnus? Or me?" I shook my head, knowing that she couldn't actually see me. "No Rose, I know I was born in this world, but my father apparently wasn't. He was adopted and apparently the same man who arranged Vince's adoption arranged my dad's and is the same man who was Audrey's boss." "But then it would be your dad hon, not you," Rose said. "I know it sounds crazy Rose, but...I can't explain it, but I know it's got to be me!" There was silence on the other end of the phone for a long while and I thought that maybe they'd hung up on me. I checked my phone to make sure the connection was still good. It was. I waited. Finally Duke spoke. "Ok, so what do you need from us?" he asked seriously. "Rose, are you up for helping if William get's ugly? I know you've been through hell today, but we might need you." I said. "Yeah I can do that," she said. "Rose, are you sure? Mari's right, you've been through hell. You need to rest!" Dwight said urgently. "Dwight I can do this. William won't require much magick," Rose reassured him. "Ok, then we are all going," Duke said. I suddenly got the feeling that I wasn't part of the conversation anymore. "Thanks guys. Meet us at the lighthouse." I clicked my phone off and walked back into the office to tell Jace and the brothers what the plan was.

20 minutes later, Dave, being closely followed by Jace, Vince, Nathan carrying an unconscious William, Duke carrying an unconscious Audrey, Rose, Dwight, and I all met up at the entrance to the lighthouse. "You ready?" I asked Audrey when she finally came to. "Are you kidding? I want this creep gone yesterday!" "Ok good, cause apparently whatever's on the other side of that door is scary as hell. It's got Dave scared out of his skin." As we walked down the corridor to the symbol, Duke pulled me aside. "Hey, I don't want you to do this," he said holding me back from the group. "What are you talking about?" I asked him confused. "We need to get rid of William, and I'm the only one that can do that. Apparently." "I know, but I was talking to Dave and...what if you get pulled through? I don't want to lose you. Not after...everything." I stared at him, suddenly feeling the concern and genuine fear he was feeling. I put my hand in his and gave it a reasurring squeeze. "That won't happen. I'm strong. I can resist it. And besides, I think I'm actually beginning to like it here," I said smiling. "I don't have any plans of going anywhere. Not anymore." He pulled me in for a hug. When he let me go I turned and walked to the cave.

When I got there I noticed William doubled over. I looked at Audrey and she showed me what had happened in her head. William had egged Nathan on, reminding him that there was nothing Nathan could do to hurt William without also hurting Audrey, due to their connection. Nathan had found a way; kneeing William in the groin. I flinched but had to admit, that was genious! Rose was leaning heavily against Dwight and looked exhausted. You okay? I questioned mentally and she just looked up at me and nodded. I could see the determination in her eyes. She wasn't going anywhere. "Ok, so what do we do Mari?" Nathan asked me. I looked at the book, but there was nothing new in it. I looked at Jace, panic clear on my face. He put his hands on my shoulders. "What do you think we should do? You can do this." I took a breath and closed my eyes. "We need to stand on the points, one person on each," I said and moved to stand on the closest one. Nathan moved William onto one and, with Dwight's help, held him there, Audrey stepped onto the one opposite me, and Jace pushed Dave onto the one to my right and Duke moved to stand behind me with his hands on my shoulder. Dave struggled to get free, but Jace kept a hold on him. Nathan moved to help Jace as Dave began to struggle even harder, leaving Audrey to hold onto William. Just as Nathan got to him Dave elbowed Jace in the stomach and as Nathan knelt to help the younger man up, Dave grabbed the gun that was tucked into Nathan's waist band. "DAVE! What are you doing?!" Vince yelled in panic and confusion as he moved to stand between Dave and the door. "I'm not going back. I won't be here when you open that door! You've always been my brother Vince, but I won't hesitate to shoot!" he shouted as he pointed the gun. No one moved for a long moment, but I noticed Dwight moving so that he was directly behind Dave. There was a loud shot as Dave fired the gun at Vince and we all watched in horror and then amazement as the bullet left the gun, made a u-turn, went through Dave's shoulder and straight into Dwight's bulletproof vest. "DWIGHT!" both Rose and Duke yelled in panic as he stumbled back at the impact, but remained standing. Duke's hands tightened on my shoulder and I winced. "If you're going to get shot you've got to make it count!" he quipped as he picked Dave up from the ground. "He'll be fine Vince, it's just a small wound." Rose moved to quickly stand with Dwight, examining him for any injuries. "I'm fine sweetheart," he murmured, kissing her forehead gently. Once she was certain she heaved a sigh of relief and I felt Duke's hand on my shoulder relax.

"Now what?" Rose asked. I looked around, trying to figure it out, but got nothing. I looked at Jace again and he nodded. I took another breath and focused. I held the book out to the center of the symbol and suddenly the ground started to shake. A square in the middle suddenly started to move down through the floor, opening up a hole in the floor. Nathan started to push William in, and he struggled, trying to get away. "Ok!" he screamed. "I'm willing to negotiate!" he pleaded, suddenly realizing how serious Audrey and Nathan had been all along. "Yeah well we aren't!" Audrey said. Just as she was about to push him in, Vince screamed at Dave, "Dave! What are you doing?!" I looked to see Dave being pulled by some invisible force toward the hole. I watched in horror as he suddenly fell into it. Vince grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back up. Nathan ran to help Vince, with Dwight close behind and Audrey watched William. Jace grabbed Dwight's arm and all four men managed to pull Dave back out of the door. As he came out, he flung himself at the wall, hoping to get as far away from the door as possible. Rose stepped forward, holding the box that Lillith was imprisoned in and whispered, "Deo i bpríosún, riamh a thabhairt ar ais, anois leat a bhaint as na hiarmhairtí a bhaineann le do chuid gníomhaíochtaí. (Forever imprisoned, never to return, now you reap the consequences of your actions.)" Then she tossed the box through the door, there was a faint scream that was heard as the box fell, but then it was gone.

Audrey began to push William towards the hole and he begged her not too. "No! Please! Don't do this!" As he was about to fall through, he grabbed her wrist, holding tightly. I could see the electricity pass between them, but then he fell. As he did, I felt something hit me, completely knocking the breath out of me and I suddenly saw something in my head. Something evil and dark. Something even worse than Lillith. "Get that door closed Mari! Now!" Nathan yelled as he pulled Audrey back from the edge of the door. I quickly held the book out, silently commanding the door to close. Once it was closed fully, I collapsed against the wall. "Mari!" I heard Duke and Rose shout. Duke got to me first and put a hand behind my head, propping me up. "Dave was right," I said, barely breathing. "There was something way worse than anything we've faced that we should have been afraid of." My head was pounding and I could barely draw breath. The last thing I heard before the world went black was someone saying my name.

ROSE

the door closed I felt something I had noticed before. There was a feeling of power. Dark, horrible power. I looked around for the source and my focus landed on Audrey who had a smirk on her face. I was distracted by Mari collapsing against the wall and I moved towards her quickly, keeping my senses trained on Audrey. "Mari," I whispered softly as I knelt next to her. "She's not breathing!" Duke cried in horror and I quickly checked for a pulse. "She's barely got a pulse!" I screamed and, quickly charging my energy, I shocked her heart. She jolted and then fell still again. I tried again with the same result. "No!" I said as I felt tears begin to fall down my face. "No, you can't do this to me Mari. Please!" I screamed as I shocked her once again. This time she jolted and began to breath again. I nearly collapsed with relief, but that relief was cut short as I heard a chuckle from behind me.

"Well, well, well. A witch like me…" Audrey-No this wasn't Audrey, whoever it was, said softly. "Who are you?" I said softly as I moved to stand protectively in front of Mari and Duke. Everyone else in the room was frozen in shock. "My name is Mara. Now who is going to help me get William back?" she said pleasantly, a small smirk on her face. She looked just like Audrey, but her eyes. Her eyes were that of a killer, but they were also familiar. I stared at her for a long moment. "Mara?" I said in confusion. "Mara what?" I asked, hoping to every deity I could think of I was wrong. "Mara Hunter," she replied cheerfully and I nearly collapsed. This woman was my great-great grandmother.


	22. AUTHOR'S NOTE

_**Hey guys!  
**_

_**So that concludes How to Believe written by Alexandria Halliwell and Rosalyn Hunter. We are going to put in a sequel, but it will take some time to write. For those of you that watch the Haven TV Show you know that we, for the most part, followed the story set by Season 3 and Season 4 of Haven. Now we are going to write our own Season 5, given that we MAY NOT have a Season 5. Hopefully we will have the sequel up by the end of February. Thank you so much for reading, rating and reviewing!**_

_**Alexandria Halliwell and Rosalyn Hunter aka Alexandria Hunter**_


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